Lai, Yu-Da

 Department of Children English Education, National Taipei University of Education, Taiwan

Abstract: This study explores Taiwanese EFL college students’ experiences and self-reported perceptions of ChatGPT use during English argumentative writing, focusing on motivation, perceived writing abilities, and attitudes. Twenty first-year English education majors participated in a three-week course that integrated ChatGPT into instruction, framed by Vygotsky’s social constructivist theory. Using a “teacher guidance-AI assistance-student practice” model, the study used a mixed-methods design, incorporating questionnaires, interviews, and interaction records. Results indicated that students reported high intrinsic motivation in autonomy and confidence, and low writing anxiety. They also perceived improvements in idea generation, task comprehension, critical thinking, and lexical and grammatical fluency. Although attitudes were generally positive, students expressed reservations about regular use, citing concerns over potential over-reliance and interaction challenges. These concerns may have been exacerbated by the lesson design, which required sequential, question-and-answer interactions with ChatGPT. Exploratory regression analyses suggested positive associations among the three variables, consistent with the Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, 1989). Overall, the findings suggest preliminary pedagogical potential of AI tools in EFL writing instruction and underscore the importance of implementation strategies, critical evaluation of AI-generated content, and attention to individual learning preferences. They also provide an empirically grounded basis for hypothesis-driven inquiry in future larger, controlled studies.

Key Words: ChatGPT, EFL writing, Motivation, Perception 

Note: This is a pre-proof version and is subject to change during the editing process.