UNVEILING LANCANG KUNING UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS TO SUPPORT ACADEMIC WRITING THROUGH AI CHATBOTS

Abstract

The ability to master English facilitates intercultural interactions and becomes a much-needed skill in various professional fields. Especially in the academic context of students who study English as a Foreign Language (EFL). This study aims to identify the Lancang Kuning university students’ perceptions toward the use of AI chatbots in supporting academic writing. This study employed quantitative approach to ascertain and delineate the students’ perceptions to support academic writing among EFL students and by administered questionnaire to 23 participants. To discover the relationship between students' perceptions and their writing ability, an essay writing task and rubric-based assessment were administered to the students. After analysis using SPSS, a significant correlation was found between perceptions and academic writing ability. The analysis results showed a correlation coefficient value of r = 0.527 with a significance value of 0.010. The significance value is <0.05., H₀ is rejected and H₁ is accepted. A positive correlation coefficient value indicates that the higher students' perceptions of AI chatbots, the higher their academic writing skills. In addition, a correlation value of 0.527 indicates a positive relationship at a moderate level (moderate correlation). Furthermore, this study provides an empirical overview of the dynamics of AI use in the early stages of its adoption in the local academic environment.