Integrating Chatgpt to Enhance Students’ Academic Writing in EFL Context
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24256/ideas.v14i2.11745Keywords:
ChatGPT; Academic Wrting; Writing Performance; EFL Students; AI-Assisted Learning.Abstract
This study investigates the effectiveness of integrating ChatGPT as a writing support tool to enhance EFL students’ academic writing performance. Although ChatGPT has increasingly been used in higher education, empirical evidence on its impact on measurable writing outcomes remains limited. To address this gap, this research employed a one-group pre-experimental pre-test and post-test design involving 22 third-semester students of an English Study Program who had completed foundational writing courses. During the pre-test, students produced an academic essay without ChatGPT. The intervention introduced learners to ChatGPT for generating ideas, planning, drafting, and revising. The post-test required students to write another essay using ChatGPT actively. Their essays were assessed using an analytical rubric covering content, organization, vocabulary, and grammar. The data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, normality testing, and a paired samples t-test. The findings revealed a substantial improvement, with mean scores increasing from 68.25 in the pre-test to 89.05 in the post-test, and a very large effect size (Cohen’s d = 1.69). These results indicate that essays produced with active ChatGPT support scored significantly higher, reflecting AI-assisted writing performance rather than independent writing gains alone. The study concludes that ChatGPT serves as an effective supplementary tool in EFL writing instruction and suggests further research involving larger sample sizes and comparative experimental designs.
References
Abdi Tabari, M., & Farahanynia, M. (2025). Exploring the interplay between task-readiness factors and task complexity in L2 writing performance and anxiety. ITL-International Journal of Applied Linguistics.
Adeshola, I., & Adepoju, A. P. (2024). The opportunities and challenges of ChatGPT in education. Interactive Learning Environments, 32(10), 6159–6172.
AlAfnan, M. A., Dishari, S., Jovic, M., & Lomidze, K. (2023). Chatgpt as an educational tool: Opportunities, challenges, and recommendations for communication, business writing, and composition courses. Journal of Artificial Intelligence and Technology, 3(2), 60–68.
Alangari, T. S. (2025). The Effect of AI-Assisted Learning on EFL Writing Proficiency: Quasi-Experimental and Cluster Analysis. Educational Process: International Journal, 17, e2025345.
Albadarin, Y., Saqr, M., Pope, N., & Tukiainen, M. (2024). A systematic literature review of empirical research on ChatGPT in education. Discover Education, 3(1), 60.
Alshami, A., Elsayed, M., Ali, E., Eltoukhy, A. E. E., & Zayed, T. (2023). Harnessing the power of ChatGPT for automating systematic review process: methodology, case study, limitations, and future directions. Systems, 11(7), 351.
Apriani, E., Daulay, S. H., Aprilia, F., Marzuki, A. G., Warsah, I., & Supardan, D. (2025). A Mixed-Method Study on the Effectiveness of Using ChatGPT in Academic Writing and Students’ Perceived Experiences. Journal of Language and Education, 11(1 (41)), 26–45.
Asadi, M., Ebadi, S., & Mohammadi, L. (2025). The impact of integrating ChatGPT with teachers’ feedback on EFL writing skills. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 56, 101766.
Augustine, J. M., Slack, M., & Warholak, T. L. (2015). A pre-and post-test assessment of concept learning in research design. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, 7(6), 729–737.
Avcu, R., & Avcu, S. (2022). The methodological quality of experimental STEM education articles published in scholarly journals from 2014 to 2020. International Journal of Assessment Tools in Education, 9(2), 290–318.
Barkaoui, K. (2008). Effects of scoring method and rater experience on ESL essay rating processes and outcomes.
Batool, S., Akhtar, M. N., Anjum, S. A., Kousar, R., Zahid, A., & Nawaz, M. (2024). Enhancing Scientific Writing with AI: Evaluating Tools, Practices and Future Implications. Dialogue Social Science Review (DSSR), 2(3 (October)), 281–323.
CHATTI, K. (2024). Investigating the Efficiency of Using ChatGPT to Generate Ideas for Writing on Enhancing the EFL Learners Writing Creativity The Case of Master one English students at University Mohammed Khider of Biskra.
Chipwanya, E., Downing, C., & Nkosi, E. (2024). The effect of a preceptorship programme on newly hired experienced professional nurses’ self-efficacy in nursing clinical competency in Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences, 20, 100682.
Dergaa, I., Chamari, K., Zmijewski, P., & Saad, H. Ben. (2023). From human writing to artificial intelligence generated text: examining the prospects and potential threats of ChatGPT in academic writing. Biology of Sport, 40(2), 615–622.
Dewi, U. (2021). Students’ perceptions: Using writing process approach in EFL writing class. Al-Ishlah: Jurnal Pendidikan, 13(2), 988–997.
Dzogovic, S., Zdravkovska-Adamova, B., & Serpil, H. (2024). From Theory to Practice: A Holistic Study of the Application of Artificial Intelligence Methods and Techniques in Higher Education and Science. Human Research in Rehabilitation, 14(2).
Elbanna, S., & Armstrong, L. (2024). Management & Sustainability: An Arab Review, 3(1), 16–29.
Esfandiari, R., & Allaf-Akbary, O. (2024). The role of ChatGPT-based instruction and flipped language learning in metadiscourse use in EFL learners’ argumentative writing and their perceptions of the two instructional methods. Teaching English as a Second Language Quarterly (Formerly Journal of Teaching Language Skills), 43(3), 27–52.
Etikan, I., Musa, S. A., & Alkassim, R. S. (2016). Comparison of convenience sampling and purposive sampling. American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics, 5(1), 1–4.
Feng Teng, M. (2024). A Systematic Review of ChatGPT for English as a Foreign Language Writing: Opportunities, Challenges, and Recommendations. International Journal of TESOL Studies, 6(3).
Fredrick, D., & Craven, L. (2025). Lexical diversity, syntactic complexity, and readability: A corpus-based analysis of ChatGPT and L2 student essays. Frontiers in Education, 10, 1616935.
George, B., Pandita, S., Mishra, N., Kumar, P. V., Kavitha, R., Muthumari, P., & Sharma, S. (2024). Impact of Digital Libraries on English Language Academic Writing. Library of Progress-Library Science, Information Technology & Computer, 44(3).
Ghafouri, M., Hassaskhah, J., & Mahdavi-Zafarghandi, A. (2024). From virtual assistant to writing mentor: Exploring the impact of a ChatGPT-based writing instruction protocol on EFL teachers’ self-efficacy and learners’ writing skill. Language Teaching Research, 13621688241239764.
Hafidzallah, W. (2025). DEVELOPING WORKSHEETS ON PROCEDURE TEXT TO HELP SEVENTH GRADE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ORGANIZE THEIR IDEAS IN WRITING IN THE SECOND SEMESTER. STATE ISLAMIC INSTITUTE.
Haleem, A., Javaid, M., & Singh, R. P. (2022). An era of ChatGPT as a significant futuristic support tool: A study on features, abilities, and challenges. BenchCouncil Transactions on Benchmarks, Standards and Evaluations, 2(4), 100089.
Hwang, M., Jeens, R., & Lee, H.-K. (2025). Exploring learner prompting behavior and its effect on ChatGPT-assisted English writing revision. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 34(3), 1157–1167.
Imran, M., & Almusharraf, N. (2024). 7 Future of Writing in. Innovative Pedagogical Practices for Higher Education 4.0: Solutions and Demands of the Modern Classroom, 108.
Imran, M., Almusharraf, N., & Dalbani, H. (2024). Future of writing in higher education: a review of prospective use of artificial intelligence and ChatGPT in academia. Innovative Pedagogical Practices for Higher Education 4.0, 108–125.
Ismayanti, D., & Syam, A. T. (2022). The Community Manipulation through Big Brother’ s Tyranny in George Orwell’ s Nineteen Eighty-Four. IDEAS: Journal on English Language Teaching and Learning, Linguistics and Literature, 10(2), 1556â-1569.
Ismayanti, D., Said, Y. R., Usman, N., & Nur, M. I. (2024). The Students Ability in Translating Newspaper Headlines into English A Case Study. IDEAS: Journal on English Language Teaching and Learning, Linguistics and Literature, 12(1), 108-131.
Javaid, M., Haleem, A., Singh, R. P., Khan, S., & Khan, I. H. (2023). Unlocking the opportunities through ChatGPT Tool towards ameliorating the education system. BenchCouncil Transactions on Benchmarks, Standards and Evaluations, 3(2), 100115.
Joshi, R., Kumari, S., & Pandey, K. (2025). AI-Powered ChatGPT in Education: A Double-Edged Sword. In Enhancing Learning Experiences With Digital Tools: AI, ChatGPT, and Virtual and Augmented Reality (pp. 47–74). IGI Global Scientific Publishing.
Junaid, R., & Santaria, R. (2022). Common Mistakes in the Students’ Academic Writing: Rethinking for Curriculum Development. European Journal of Humanities and Educational Advancements, 3(3), 69–76.
Kartini, M. M., Santosa, M. H., & Indrayani, L. (2025). Students’ Acceptance and Enjoyment of ChatGPT in English Language Learning. Journal of Educational Study, 5(2), 171–186.
Marlina, M. (2024). Enhancing EFL Learners’ Writing Skills: Challenges, Strategies, and Pedagogical Insights. Journal of Educational Studies, 2(2), 88–97.
Milakis, E. D., Argyrakou, C. C., Melidis, A., & Vrettaros, J. (2025). Chatgpt and ai chatbots in education: An umbrella review of systematic reviews, scoping reviews, and meta-analyses. Preprint on ResearchGate.
Naini, I., & Ulya, R. H. (2025). Reasoning Patterns and Sentence Construction Errors in Students’ Scholarly Articles: A Content Analysis of Academic Writing in Padang City. AL-ISHLAH: Jurnal Pendidikan, 17(2).
Niloy, A. C., Akter, S., Sultana, N., Sultana, J., & Rahman, S. I. U. (2024). Is Chatgpt a menace for creative writing ability? An experiment. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 40(2), 919–930.
Procel, G. J. O., Medina, M. L. F., Sotomayor, D. J., & Sanchez, M. A. (2024). Using technology in English teaching. Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(9), 9.
Punar Özçelik, N., & Yangın Ekşi, G. (2024). Cultivating writing skills: the role of ChatGPT as a learning assistant—a case study. Smart Learning Environments, 11(1), 10.
Rajaram, K. (2023). Future of learning: Teaching and learning strategies. In Learning Intelligence: Innovative and Digital Transformative Learning Strategies: Cultural and Social Engineering Perspectives (pp. 3–53). Springer.
Ramadhan, I. P. (2024). UNITY AND COHERENCE IN WRITING AN ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY OF ENGLISH EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM UNIVERSITY OF MUHAMMADIYAH MALANG. Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang.
Rosalina, S. (n.d.). Improving Reading Comprehension Achievement of the Eighth Grade Students at SMP Daarul Aitam Palembang by Using Reciprocal Teaching Strategy.
Santillán-Iñiguez, J. J., & Rodas-Pacheco, F. D. (2022). Developing academic writing skills in EFL university students through haiku composition. Revista Electrónica Educare, 26(1), 196–212.
Sari, S., & Setyowati, L. (2021). Should students keep on learning writing although facing problems and feeling less confident. Journal of English Education, 6(1), 46–55.
Setyowati, L., Sukmawan, S., & El-Sulukiyyah, A. A. (2020). Exploring the Use of ESL Composition Profile for College Writing in the Indonesian Context. International Journal of Language Education, 4(2), 171–182.
Song, C., & Song, Y. (2023). Enhancing academic writing skills and motivation: assessing the efficacy of ChatGPT in AI-assisted language learning for EFL students. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1260843.
Steiss, J., Tate, T., Graham, S., Cruz, J., Hebert, M., Wang, J., Moon, Y., Tseng, W., Warschauer, M., & Olson, C. B. (2024). Comparing the quality of human and ChatGPT feedback of students’ writing. Learning and Instruction, 91, 101894.
Stofiana, T., Sunendar, D., Mulyati, Y., & Sastromiharjo, A. (n.d.). ASSESSING ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING USING THE TOULMIN MODEL, METACOGNITIVE AWARENESS, AND AI LITERACY. METACOGNITIVE AWARENESS, AND AI LITERACY.
Sudrajad, W., Fikri, M. H., & Putra, R. P. B. (2024). HELP ME CHATGPT! WHAT WAYS DOES CHATGPT INFLUENCE STUDENTS’PRODUCTIVITY AND CREATIVITY IN ENGLISH ACADEMIC WRITING? EDUCATUM: Scientific Journal of Education, 2(2), 48–57.
Tajik, A. (2025). Exploring the role of AI-driven dynamic writing platforms in improving EFL learners’ writing skills and fostering their motivation.
Taye, T., & Mengesha, M. (2024). Identifying and analyzing common English writing challenges among regular undergraduate students. Heliyon, 10(17).
Tran, T. T. T. (2025). Enhancing EFL writing revision practices: The impact of AI-and teacher-generated feedback and their sequences. Education Sciences, 15(2), 232.
Wa-Mbaleka, S., & Rosario, A. H. (2022). Introduction to Qualitative. The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research in the Asian Context, 3.
Wei, Y., Sulaiman, N. A., & Ismail, H. H. (2024). Academic English writing challenges in a blended EFL and ESL learning environment: Insights from Chinese international high school students. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 23(2), 275–293.
Wu, Y. (2024). Study on the impact of utilizing ChatGPT and other AI tools for feedback in EAP writing classrooms on the discursive writing performance of English major students. Transactions on Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, 4, 143–150.
Yang, T.-C., Hsu, Y.-C., & Wu, J.-Y. (2025). The effectiveness of ChatGPT in assisting high school students in programming learning: evidence from a quasi-experimental research. Interactive Learning Environments, 1–18.
Yasuda, S. (2023). What does it mean to construct an argument in academic writing? A synthesis of English for general academic purposes and English for specific academic purposes perspectives. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 66, 101307.
Yulandari, E. S., & Suryadi, H. (2025). Improving Academic Writing Skills in EFL Contexts among University Students in the Fifth Semester. Innovative: Journal Of Social Science Research, 5(3), 4908–4916.
Zou, Y., Kuek, F., Feng, W., & Cheng, X. (2025). Digital learning in the 21st century: trends, challenges, and innovations in technology integration. Frontiers in Education, 10, 1562391.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
Citation Check
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Zahwa Laila Fazia, Ilham, Humaira, Rima Rahmaniah
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See the Effect of Open Access)
