Incorporating Artificial Intelligence into Student Academic Writing in Higher Education: The Use of Wordtune by Chinese international students

Abstract

Academic writing can be challenging for international students, especially if English is not their first language. Artificial intelligence (AI) writing assistants have received considerable attention in recent years as a new means to enhance students’ academic writing. However, limited research has been conducted on how they are actually used in practice. This paper examines the use of Wordtune, an AI-powered writing assistant, by Chinese international students in higher education through interviews (n=30). The study explored the challenges these students faced in academic writing and how they already used a variety of digital tools during the writing process to address these issues. Specifically in relation to Wordtune students found the rewriting options useful, especially the function to rewrite in formal language. Students self-identifying as beginners in English used all the functions, but rather indiscriminately. Students with higher-level skills used it more selectively and learned to improve their writing through examining alternative rewrites. All users wanted the function to rewrite sentences more formally to suit an academic writing style. The paper contributes to our understanding of how international students use digital tools in the writing process.