An Investigation of Students’ Perception of the Writing Process Using ChatGPT

Abstract

The increasing use of generative artificial intelligence (AI), particularly ChatGPT, has transformed academic writing in higher education by supporting idea generation, drafting, revision, and language improvement. However, limited research has examined learners’ perceptions of ChatGPT across different stages of the writing process. Therefore, this study investigated learners’ perceptions of ChatGPT use, their perceptions of the planning, translating, and reviewing stages of writing, and the relationship between ChatGPT and these stages. This quantitative survey study involved 186 tertiary students selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected using a 43-item five-point Likert scale questionnaire adapted from Raoofi et al. (2017) and Youssef et al. (2024), comprising three sections: demographic profile, writing process, and ChatGPT. The findings revealed that learners generally perceived ChatGPT positively and reported positive perceptions towards all three writing stages. Correlation analysis showed a moderate significant positive relationship between ChatGPT and planning, as well as weak significant positive relationships between ChatGPT and translating and reviewing. The findings suggest that ChatGPT functions as a complementary tool that supports learners throughout the writing process while preserving the importance of cognitive and strategic writing behaviours. The study provides insights for the effective and responsible integration of ChatGPT in higher education writing instruction.