Empowering student success in higher education through enhanced academic writing skills with AI tools

Abstract

The aim of the present paper is to discuss the application of AI-powered writing tools in teaching and learning academic writing at the tertiary level, focusing on first-year English major students’ use and attitudes towards these tools. For this purpose, a total of 88 EFL students representing nine nationalities participated in a joint small-scale quantitative study that was conducted at two higher education institutions in Kaunas, Lithuania, and at a university in Astana, Kazakhstan. The study was designed in two stages, each addressing a specific objective. The first objective was to investigate whether students have any difficulties to follow the requirements of academic writing style in English, and how formulating an effective prompt for AI-powered writing tools can help to obtain personalized feedback that supports writing and revision of their academic texts (academic essays). The second objective was to investigate students’ overall use of AI in their studies, with particular focus on the use of AI-powered tools in academic writing. Special attention was given to students’ perceptions of the advantages and limitations of using AI, as well as to ethical concerns related to its use in academic context. To this end, the students answered the questionnaire using Google Forms. Findings showed that students’ in-class essays followed culture-bound rhetorical patterns that differed from those typical of English academic writing. Findings also indicated that the immediate feedback from AI-powered writing tools stimulates students’ critical engagement with text production and organization and improves linguistic accuracy. At the same time, concerns related to students’ overreliance on AI and potential ethical implications were identified. The study contributes to ongoing discussions on the responsible integration of AI in academic setting and underscores the necessity of balancing technological support with the development of academic writing competency.