ChatGPT Overreliance and the Erosion of L2 Writing Agency Among ESL Undergraduates in Gujarat
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66121/hdmag315Keywords:
ChatGPT, Cognitive offloading, L2 writing, ESL, Generative AI overrelianceAbstract
The use of AI tools, especially ChatGPT, has become common in academic writing classrooms, often outpacing teachers and policy updates. This study examined how 180 undergraduate ESL students in Gujarat, India, use ChatGPT for writing and how this affects their sense of control over their work. The research employed a sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach, beginning with a validated 28-item survey followed by semi-structured interviews with 30 participants. Findings showed that 63.4% of students use ChatGPT several times a week or more, with over 60% depending on it for higher-order tasks such as building arguments and generating ideas. Thematic analysis of interviews revealed five main themes: prompt dependency, voice erosion, reduced revision, metacognitive withdrawal, and exam anxiety. These results indicate that ChatGPT is frequently used as a replacement rather than a support tool. The study introduces the SCAFFOLD model, an eight-stage framework for responsible AI integration in ESL writing classrooms.
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