Senior High Students’ Perceptions of Using AI Tools to Improve English Writing: A Quantitative Analysis

M.Busyro Sabaik, Eko Suhartoyo, Imam Wahyudi Karimullah

Abstract


AI writing tools such as ChatGPT and Grammarly are increasingly embedded in EFL instruction, yet research on student perception has concentrated on university learners, leaving secondary-level students largely unexamined. This study investigated senior high school students' perceptions of AI-assisted English writing across eight dimensions (perceived usefulness, ease of use, writing confidence, ethical awareness, frequency of use, stages of writing, purpose of use, and self-regulated writing) and tested whether perceptions differed by gender. Using a quantitative descriptive design, data were collected from 45 eleventh-grade students at a senior high school in Malang, Indonesia, via a validated 19-item questionnaire, analyzed through descriptive statistics and independent-samples t-tests. Students reported an altogether positive perception of AI-assisted writing. Ethical awareness scored highest while frequency of use scored lowest and fell in the neutral range, revealing a gap between favorable attitudes and actual practice. No statistically significant gender differences emerged on any dimension. AI writing tools thus appear broadly and equally accepted across gender at the secondary level, but positive attitudes do not automatically translate into regular use. Teachers are encouraged to scaffold both the ethical and practical dimensions of AI-assisted writing instruction to close this gap.

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References


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