Reconsidering Student Agency in the Era of AI Writing Tools: A Quantitative Study from Pakistani Higher Education
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Abstract
This study examines differences in confidence, independence, and authorship among university students based on the level of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool usage in academic writing. A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was employed with 200 participants, who were categorised as frequent, occasional, or non-users of AI writing tools. Descriptive statistics and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to compare the responses between groups. The findings showed that frequent AI users reported significantly higher confidence in completing academic writing tasks than did non-users. Findings regarding independence and authorship were interpreted with caution because of lower internal consistency within the scales; therefore, they were analysed at the item level. Independence showed mixed item-level findings, with significant differences observed for some independence-related items but not others. There were no statistically significant differences in authorship across the AI usage groups, indicating limited evidence of variability in students’ perceptions of writing voice and ownership. This study contributes to the ongoing discussion on AI-assisted academic writing in the EFL (English as Foreign Language) context and highlights the significance of guiding students towards the responsible and reflective use of AI in academic writing settings. These findings have implications for post-secondary educators and higher education policymakers.
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