Author: Harry Densley
Densley, Harry, 2024 International Postgraduate TESOL Students’ Perceived Impacts of Generative AI Tools on Their Academic Writing Confidence: Multiple Case Studies in Flinders University in South Australia, Flinders University, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
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This study investigates the perceptions of international postgraduate TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) students regarding their perceived impacts of Generative AI Tools (GAITs) on their Academic Writing Confidence (AWC) at Flinders University with a large enrolment of international postgraduate students from diverse cultural backgrounds. These students often encounter academic challenges in adapting to the new international academic environment, especially in their academic writing. Despite the existing literature on the influence of GAITs on academic writing, there remains a significant research gap concerning international postgraduate students' perceptions of its impacts on their academic writing confidence in the context of South Australian universities. To address this research gap, the study employs a qualitative approach by conducting four (04) in-depth case studies; each international postgraduate TESOL student at Flinders University represents a case study. Through semi-structured interviews, each participating student shares their own perspectives on GAIT usage, self-rated AWC and their perceived effects of GAIT on AWC. The thematic analysis of interview data provides valuable insights into how four (04) participants perceived the impacts of GAIT on their academic writing confidence. Cross-case data syntheses reveal that the interviewed international postgraduate TESOL students perceive generative AI tools as having positive impacts like increased efficiency and improving academic writing abilities while raising concerns about over-reliance, inhibited critical thinking, and challenges in independent writing scenarios. Drawing from the findings, this study offers recommendations for three (03) different key stakeholders of international postgraduate students, university lecturers and topic coordinators, and Flinders University itself. These recommendations, supported with the empirical interview data with a focus on responsible GAIT use, ethical considerations for students, and university guidelines, aim to help international postgraduate students build their academic writing confidence while being able to use GAITs responsibly and ethically towards academic writing success.
Keywords: Generative AI Tools, Academic Writing Confidence, International Postgraduate TESOL Students, Flinders University
Subject: English as a Second Language thesis
Thesis type: Masters
Completed: 2024
School: College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Supervisor: Dr. Mai Ngo