A look into doctoral students’ use of GenAI tools in academic writing

Abstract

<p>This is a narrative inquiry into the learning experiences of five ESL doctoral student sojourners in an academic writing course, focusing on: i) their perceptions towards the use of GenAI tools in academic writing; and ii) the benefits and risks associated with GenAI-assisted academic writing. Theoretically informed by Norton’s (2013) work on identity and language learning, seen from a sociocultural lens (Pavlenko & Lantolf, 2000), this study examines the meanings that the participants attached to their GenAI-assisted writing process and their identity (re-)construction when interacting with GenAI tools. A narrative of each student’s learning and writing experiences was constructed based on the data collected from questionnaires and interviews with the participants. A thematic analysis was also conducted to highlight the common and idiosyncratic features of the participants’ GenAI-enabled learning and writing experiences. The narratives in this study reveal the benefits and challenges associated with doctoral students’ GenAI-assisted academic writing and the help and support that students need to use these tools effectively. The narratives also show that the participants’ identities were constantly (re-)constructed when using GenAI technologies during their writing process. This study sheds light on the importance of enhancing students’ learning experiences by integrating GenAI technologies in teaching practices.</p>