Artificial Intelligence in English Language Education: Transforming Writing, Pedagogy, and Academic Integrity
TL;DR
It is concluded that AI has the potential to positively impact the enhancement of writing skills in various ways, such as grammar corrections, word selection, and personalized feedback.
Abstract
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionized Higher Education (HE) and is playing a pivotal role in shaping the landscape of English Language Education (ELE). The advent of AI-powered tools like ChatGPT, Grammarly, QuillBot, Copilot, and other generative AI tools has changed the way student learn, compose and interact with academic content. These technologies enable learners to receive instant feedback, individual support, language development and access to educational resources. At the same time, AI has revolutionized the way teaching is done, creating environments of adaptive learning and helping teachers design learning, evaluate and maintain student engagement. These benefits are clear, but there are serious issues to be addressed given the rapid development of AI and its impact on academic integrity, originality, plagiarism, and reliance on AI. This study aims to discuss the impact of AI on writing practice, writing instruction, and academic integrity in English Language Education. The researcher used semi-structured interviews and a qualitative phenomenological research design for collecting the data, which were comprised of 18 participants: university students and English language teachers. Three major themes emerged from the thematic analysis: AI as a writing enhancement tool, the impact of AI on pedagogy, and new academic integrity issues. Based on the results, it is concluded that AI has the potential to positively impact the enhancement of writing skills in various ways, such as grammar corrections, word selection, and personalized feedback. Pedagogical changes also were recognised as significant including increased autonomy and pedagogisation of the learner. However, challenges with the potential for misuse of AI content, the issue of students lacking critical thinking skills, and the lack of an ability to assess original student work were significant concerns. The study shows that AI must be adopted in the field of English Language Education by implementing ethical guidelines, AI literacy programs, and new assessment approaches. The findings are relevant to educational practitioners, institutions and policy makers, who are concerned with issues related to innovation and academic integrity in today's educational landscape.This paper explores the opportunities and potential dangers for higher education students to use ChatGPT in their academic writing.This paper examines the opportunities created by ChatGPT for higher education students' academic writing, along with the potential risks that may arise.