From Ghostwriter to Cognitive Partner: A Translanguaging Lens on Human-AI Interaction and the ACTS Model for EFL Academic Writing

Abstract

This paper aims to introduce and theorize the ACTS (AI-assisted Collaborative Translanguaging Scaffolding) framework, which is proposed as a middle-range model for regulating human-AI collaboration in proposal writing within the context of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Vietnam. Vygotskian Sociocultural Theory, Cognitive Load Theory, and Translanguaging were applied as theoretical frameworks in the study. Based on these frameworks, generative AI is reconceptualized from an autonomous “ghostwriter” into a regulated socio-cognitive partner, which is reported to operate within a “Read-English, Think-Vietnamese, Write-Bilingually” cycle. To explore the plausibility of the proposed framework, illustrative, context-bound evidence from a two-phase Vietnamese pilot was reported, aiming to align with learner experiences rather than to offer full-scale empirical validation. In the first phase, a pre-training survey was administered to a baseline cohort of 112 EFL learners (comprising 71 undergraduates and 41 postgraduates). The analysis of these data indicates the establishment of quantitative and thematic profiles of AI-related anxiety across four competency dimensions, which reveals three convergent clusters: hallucination risk, plagiarism, and critical thinking erosion. Subsequently, the ACTS workflow was applied by a targeted intervention group of 24 postgraduate students to develop their thesis proposals. Findings derived from post-training reflections revealed that a positive psychological shift was reported by 95.8% of the participants. Additionally, an estimated 50% efficiency gain in proposal writing was identified, while a strong commitment to academic integrity was retained. The overall results suggest that these illustrative findings provide preliminary, context-specific support for the ACTS framework, which can be interpreted as a theoretically grounded response to the “Performance Paradox” in AI-mediated EFL academic writing. Based on the outcomes, it is expected that a set of propositions will be generated for future empirical testing in diverse contexts.