The Use Of AI For Essay Writing: University Students' Perspectives

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) based technologies and applications in education has increased significantly, especially among university students. AI is increasingly being utilized as a tool in the academic writing process, including essay writing, to overcome various difficulties such as idea development, writing structure, and linguistic aspects. However, even though there has been a lot of research on academic essay writing assisted by Artificial Intelligence (AI), most of this research has been conducted in Western countries. Many of these studies use qualitative methods with a limited number of participants, or focus more on students’ perspectives without linking them to the actual results of essay writing. As a result, there is still little evidence that comprehensively investigates the perspectives of students in Indonesian universities on the use of various AI tools, while combining data on their perspectives and measurable writing results. This study aims to examine students’ perspectives on the use of AI tools in academic essay writing and understand its role and impacts on the writing learning process. This study used a mixed methods approach with a sequential explanatory design. Quantitative data were obtained through a Likert scale questionnaire distributed to 80 students of the English Education Study Program at a private university in Surakarta, Indonesia, with 25 respondents actively participating. In addition, supporting data were obtained from the results of essay assessment using an analytic rubric as well as semi-structured interviews conducted with students with medium and high essay writing skills. Qualitative data were analyzed descriptively, while qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis to deepen and explain the quantitative findings. The results of this study show that most students have a positive perspective of the use of AI in essay writing. Students felt that AI could help them in creating essay outlines, checking grammar and sentence structure errors, making paragraphs more connected, and improving academic vocabulary. However, they are also aware of possible risks, such as over-reliance on AI that could affect their critical thinking and creativity. Therefore, students’ perspective of AI as a learning tools that can help in the writing process, but not as a substitute for their critical thinking and cognitive skills in academic writing.