Academic Writing in the AI Era: Students’ Experiences and Challenges Using ChatGPT
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54065/jld.6.2.2026.1452Keywords:
Academic Writing, Artificial Intelligence, Chatgpt, Higher Education, Students’ PerceptionsAbstract
The emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has significantly transformed academic writing practices in higher education. Among various AI-based technologies, ChatGPT has become one of the most widely used tools by university students to assist writing activities such as generating ideas, paraphrasing, summarizing, and improving grammatical accuracy. While ChatGPT offers various academic benefits, its use also raises concerns regarding students’ critical thinking, academic integrity, and overreliance on AI-generated content. This study aims to explore students’ experiences and challenges in using ChatGPT for academic writing in higher education. The study employed a qualitative descriptive design involving university students who actively used ChatGPT in their academic writing activities. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that students perceived ChatGPT as a helpful academic assistant that improved writing efficiency, vocabulary development, idea organization, and language accuracy. However, students also experienced several challenges, including dependency on AI tools, inaccurate information, reduced critical engagement, and ethical concerns related to plagiarism and originality. The study highlights the importance of integrating AI literacy and ethical guidance into academic writing instruction in higher education. The findings contribute to the growing discussion on the role of AI in education and provide pedagogical insights for lecturers and institutions in responding to the rapid development of AI-assisted learning environments.
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