This study examines the integration of generative AI (ChatGPT) into a first-year academic writing course at a Japanese national university. Thirty-six students revised their essays with AI assistance and completed a post-course questionnaire that included Likert-scale items and open-ended responses. To examine the interrelationships among perceived usefulness, educational effectiveness, and future AI usage intentions, descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analyses were conducted. Thematic analysis was performed on the qualitative responses to identify recurring benefits and concerns. Results indicated that students generally evaluated AI-generated feedback positively, particularly regarding improvements in stylistic refinement, vocabulary, and grammar. The perceived educational impact was significantly correlated with the future intention to use AI. However, the impact of AI on general writing confidence was only moderate. Participants highlighted the immediacy, clarity, and practicality of AI feedback, while expressing concerns regarding potential over-reliance, errors, and loss of nuance. The majority expressed a favorable attitude toward the continued use of AI in the composition of academic papers and recommended it to others. In conclusion, it was proposed that generative AI may serve as an auxiliary revision tool in EFL writing instruction when combined with critical reflection and structured guidance.
Aya Luckel-Semoto (Sun,) studied this question.