AI-powered enhancement of English writing skills in master’s degree students

The remarkable progress of artificial intelligence (AI) has resulted in notable transformations in educational processes, specifically in the enhancement of students' academic writing abilities. This study examines the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) tools on the proficiency of master's degree students in English writing. The main objective is to examine the benefits and challenges associated with utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) tools in academic writing, as well as to comprehend students' viewpoints on AI tools for generating content and paraphrasing. The study involved 61 master's degree students from various academic disciplines, namely Business Management, Career English for International Communication, Development Planning Management and Innovation, Engineering, English Language Teaching, Gender Studies, Global Studies, and Law. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining quantitative data obtained from a structured questionnaire and qualitative insights gathered from an open-ended survey. The quantitative findings demonstrated that AI tools have significant beneficial effects on writing speed, organization, creativity, and grammatical accuracy. Additionally, these tools received high mean scores in terms of user-friendliness and vocabulary enhancement. The qualitative analysis uncovered that student value AI tools for their practicality in managing citations, generating ideas, and delivering immediate feedback. However, certain difficulties such as the lack of acceptability in certain contexts, worries about privacy, and the possibility of excessive reliance were also emphasized.