Generative AI in Academic Writing: Exploring ESL students’ strategies and performance

Easy access to Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) technologies has enabled tertiary students to accomplish writing tasks in the English language regardless of their competencies. However, the lack of formal instructions in higher education curricula leaves many unanswered questions regarding how effectively students use the tools to their advantage. To identify how tertiary students incorporate GenAI into their academic writing and the effects on their output, this exploratory case study investigated GenAI-assisted writing strategies among 13 university students in Malaysia. A thematic analysis of their self-reported usage of ChatGPT revealed six key strategies that influence their writing performance.