AI in the Classroom: How Students Use ChatGPT to Enhance Their Writing: A Mixed-Methods Study on Non-English-Major Students' Use of ChatGPT in Academic Writing

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT into higher education has opened new avenues for supporting academic writing. This study investigates university students’ perceptions of using ChatGPT to improve English writing skills in the context of Can Tho, Vietnam. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, including a qualitative phase for survey development and a quantitative phase involving 300 students. The proposed research model examined the effects of Perceived Usefulness (PU), Perceived Ease of Use (PEU), Learning Goal Orientation (LGO), and Perceived Risks or Concerns (PRC) on Actual Usage Patterns (AUP), and their subsequent influence on Writing Engagement (WE) and Writing Outcomes (WO). Data were analyzed using SPSS and AMOS, with reliability testing, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA and CFA), and structural equation modeling (SEM). Results revealed that all four independent variables significantly influenced AUP, which in turn positively affected both WE and WO. LGO had the strongest impact on usage, while concerns about AI did not hinder engagement but instead encouraged more reflective use. The study highlights the importance of learner motivation, responsible AI integration, and personalized writing support in fostering effective AI-assisted writing instruction. Practical recommendations are provided for educators, students, and institutions to ensure ethical and meaningful use of generative AI in language education.