Examining attitudes and writing apprehension when college students are taught to use artificial intelligence ethically to scaffold research and writing

Faculty taught students in college classes how to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools (ChatGPT and Elicit) ethically for specific class assignments. At various points in the semester (beginning, middle, and end), students’ perceived writing ability and writing apprehension, as well as attitudes about AI, were assessed. It was expected that teaching them how to use AI ethically would increase their perceived writing ability and decrease their writing apprehension. Results showed that students thought AI was more helpful when they initially learned it, compared to when they continued with the assignment throughout the semester. Writing apprehension also influenced AI attitudes, such that it helped more apprehensive students more than confident students. The findings suggested that, when taught ethically, AI may be helpful for student writing, especially for struggling students as a way to scaffold their ability to develop the necessary skills to begin the research and writing process.