Keywords
How to Cite
Abstract
While existing research has largely focused on students’ perceptions of GenAI tools, there remains limited empirical evidence of how EFL university students engage with these tools during real-time writing processes, particularly within Asian higher education contexts. Addressing this gap, the present study investigates how Vietnamese EFL university students use GenAI tools when completing academic essay tasks and examines the functions these tools serve across different stages of writing. Drawing on 39 screen-recorded writing sessions from students enrolled in academic English courses, the study adopts a qualitative, process-oriented approach to analyse GenAI use during composition. The analysis showed that students used GenAI across three interrelated domains of writing: content construction, where GenAI supported idea generation, summarisation, and content development; language mediation, where it assisted with vocabulary, translation, paraphrasing, and proofreading; and process regulation, where it provided feedback, explanations, and guidance during drafting and revision. The findings further revealed several pedagogical and ethical issues, including uneven evaluative engagement with GenAI output, blurred authorship boundaries, and ethical ambiguity when GenAI was used to generate or shape writing content and structure. While some students engaged with GenAI reflectively, others incorporated generated, translated, or paraphrased content with limited visible transformation, raising questions about authorial control, acceptable assistance, and students’ engagement with core writing processes.
References
Almanea, M. (2024). Instructors’ and learners’ perspectives on using ChatGPT in English as a foreign language courses and its effect on academic integrity. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 39(3), 512–527. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2024.2410158
Bieliauskaitė, J. (2021). Solidarity in academia and its relationship to academic integrity. Journal of Academic Ethics, 19(3), 309–322. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-021-09420-6
Brickhill, M., Andrews, G., & Nieuwoudt, J. (2025). Developing student agency towards academic integrity through an educative approach: Exploring students’ experiences and perspectives. Journal of Academic Ethics, 23(3), 951–975. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-024-09567-y
Cong-Lem, N., & Thuy-Dung, N. T. (2026). Towards a framework for understanding and assessing critical thinking in generative AI-enhanced learning environments: A scoping review. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 41(2), 41. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-026-01089-y
Cong‐Lem, N., Van Bui, C. N., Nguyen, N. P. N., & Huynh, M. Q. (2025). Bridging or breaking? A systematic review of how generative AI shapes equity in foreign language education. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijal.70052
Cummings, R. E., Monroe, S. M., & Watkins, M. (2024). Generative AI in first-year writing: An early analysis of affordances, limitations, and a framework for the future. Computers and Composition, 71, 102827. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compcom.2024.102827
Duong, T. N. N., Hercz, M., Nguyen, D. K., Phan, T. T. V., Nguyen, T. C., Nguyen, V. T., & Pham, L. B. N. (2025). Escaping the blame spiral: Student-centered teaching reform in Vietnam. Studies in Higher Education, 50(11), 2631–2645. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2024.2444390
Dong, Y. (2023). Revolutionizing academic English writing through AI-powered pedagogy: Practical exploration of teaching process and assessment. Journal of Higher Education Research, 4(2), 52–57. https://doi.org/10.32629/jher.v4i2.1188
El-Garawany, M. S. M. (2024). The effects of a QuillBot-based intervention on English language majors’ EFL writing performance, apprehension, and self-efficacy. Language Teaching Research Quarterly, 43, 167–189. https://doi.org/10.32038/ltrq.2024.43.10
Gayed, J. M., Carlon, M. K. J., Oriola, A. M., & Cross, J. S. (2022). Exploring an AI-based writing assistant’s impact on English language learners. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 3, 100055. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2022.100055
Han, J., & Li, M. (2024). Exploring ChatGPT-supported teacher feedback in the EFL context. System, 126, 103502. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2024.103502
Hyland, K. (2026). AI feedback to L2 writers. International Journal of TESOL Studies, 8(1), 146–156. https://doi.org/10.58304/ijts.260420
Kalantzis, M., & Cope, B. (2025). Literacy in the time of artificial intelligence. Reading Research Quarterly, 60(1), e591. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.591
Liu, M., Zhang, L. J., & Biebricher, C. (2024). Investigating students’ cognitive processes in generative AI-assisted digital multimodal composing and traditional writing. Computers & Education, 211, 104977. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2023.104977
Malik, A. R., Pratiwi, Y., Andajani, K., Numertayasa, I. W., Suharti, S., Darwis, A., & Marzuki. (2023). Exploring artificial intelligence in academic essay: Higher education student’s perspective. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 5, 100296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2023.100296
Mohammadkarimi, E. (2023). Teachers’ reflections on academic dishonesty in EFL students’ writings in the era of artificial intelligence. Journal of Applied Learning and Teaching, 6(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.37074/jalt.2023.6.2.10
Nguyen, H., Thanh, V. D. T., & Dinh, V. P. (2025). Bringing AI into teaching: Understanding Vietnamese teachers’ perspectives and pedagogical challenges. International Journal of Educational Methodology, 11(3), 335–347. https://doi.org/10.12973/ijem.11.3.335
Ofem, U. J., Owan, V. J., Iyam, M. A., Udeh, M. I., Anake, P. M., & Ovat, S. V. (2025). Students’ perceptions, attitudes and utilisation of ChatGPT for academic dishonesty: Multigroup analyses via PLS‒SEM. Education and Information Technologies, 30(1), 159–187. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12850-5
Pratiwi, H., Suherman, Hasruddin, & Ridha, M. (2025). Between shortcut and ethics: Navigating the use of artificial intelligence in academic writing among Indonesian doctoral students. European Journal of Education, 60(2), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.70083
Ramoni, D., Sgura, C., Liberale, L., Montecucco, F., Ioannidis, J. P. A., & Carbone, F. (2024). Artificial intelligence in scientific medical writing: Legitimate and deceptive uses and ethical concerns. European Journal of Internal Medicine, 127, 31–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejim.2024.07.012
Rowland, D. R. (2023). Two frameworks to guide discussions around levels of acceptable use of generative AI in student academic research and writing. Journal of Academic Language and Learning, 17(1), T31–T69.
Seo, J.-Y. (2024). Exploring the educational potential of ChatGPT: AI-assisted narrative writing for EFL college students. Language Teaching Research Quarterly, 43, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.32038/ltrq.2024.43.01
Strobl, C., Ailhaud, E., Benetos, K., Devitt, A., Kruse, O., Proske, A., & Rapp, C. (2019). Digital support for academic writing: A review of technologies and pedagogies. Computers & Education, 131, 33–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.12.005
Subaveerapandiyan, A., Kalbande, D., & Ahmad, N. (2025). Perceptions of effectiveness and ethical use of AI tools in academic writing: A study among PhD scholars in India. Information Development, 02666669251314840. https://doi.org/10.1177/02666669251314840
Teng, M. F. (2024). A systematic review of ChatGPT for English as a foreign language writing: Opportunities, challenges, and recommendations. International Journal of TESOL Studies, 6(3), 36–57. https://doi.org/10.58304/ijts.20240304
Teng, M. F. (2025). Understanding EFL student writers’ metacognitive awareness in utilizing ChatGPT. System, 135, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2025.103848
Teng, M. F., & Shen, X. (2026). Digital applied linguistics: What is it and where are we in the GenAI era? Digital Applied Linguistics, 4, 1–29. https://doi.org/10.29140/dal.v4.103594
Teubner, T., Flath, C. M., Weinhardt, C., van der Aalst, W., & Hinz, O. (2023). Welcome to the era of ChatGPT et al.: The prospects of large language models. Business & Information Systems Engineering, 65(2), 95–101. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12599-023-00795-x
Truong, T. D., Dinh, H. T., Ha, X. V., Pham, K. T., Nguyen, T. T., & Nguyen, D. V. (2026). Vietnamese primary teachers’ autonomy in the context of educational reform. European Journal of Education, 61(2), e70587. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.70587
Utami, S. P. T., Andayani, Winarni, R., & Sumarwati. (2023). Utilization of artificial intelligence technology in an academic writing class: How do Indonesian students perceive? Contemporary Educational Technology, 15(4), ep450. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/13419
Wang, C. (2025). Exploring students’ generative AI-assisted writing processes: Perceptions and experiences from native and nonnative English speakers. Technology, Knowledge and Learning, 30(3), 1825–1846. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-024-09744-3
Warschauer, M., Tseng, W., Yim, S., Webster, T., Jacob, S., Du, Q., & Tate, T. (2023). The affordances and contradictions of AI-generated text for writers of English as a second or foreign language. Journal of Second Language Writing, 62, 101071. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2023.101071
Xiao, F., Zhu, S., & Xin, W. (2026). Exploring the landscape of generative AI (ChatGPT)-powered writing instruction in English as a foreign language education: A scoping review. ECNU Review of Education, 9(1), 20965311241310881. https://doi.org/10.1177/20965311241310881
Xie, Q., & Lei, Y. (2022). Diagnostic assessment of L2 academic writing product, process and self-regulatory strategy use with a comparative dimension. Language Assessment Quarterly, 19(3), 231–263. https://doi.org/10.1080/15434303.2021.1903470
Yoon, H.-J., & Tabari, M. A. (2023). Authorial voice in source-based and opinion-based argumentative writing: Patterns of voice across task types and proficiency levels. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 62, 101228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2023.101228
Zhai, C., Wibowo, S., & Li, L. D. (2024). The effects of over-reliance on AI dialogue systems on students’ cognitive abilities: A systematic review. Smart Learning Environments, 11(1), 28. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-024-00316-7
Zhao, D. (2025). The impact of AI-enhanced natural language processing tools on writing proficiency: An analysis of language precision, content summarization, and creative writing facilitation. Education and Information Technologies, 30(6), 8055–8086. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-13145-5
Zhao, X. (2023). Leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) technology for English writing: Introducing wordtune as a digital writing assistant for EFL writers. RELC Journal, 54(3), 890–894. https://doi.org/10.1177/00336882221094089
Zimmerman, B. J. (2000). Chapter 2—Attaining self-regulation: A social cognitive perspective. In M. Boekaerts, P. R. Pintrich, & M. Zeidner (Eds.), Handbook of self-regulation (pp. 13–39). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-012109890-2/50031-7
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 Tran Thuy Khanh-Quynh, Cong-Lem Ngo (Author)