Transformation of Madrasah Teachers’ Scientific Writing Competence: Integration of Artificial Intelligence, Self-Efficacy, and Demystification of Online Journal Systems Through Sustainable Publication Clinics

Abstract

Teachers’ scientific publication competence remains a major challenge in implementing Sustainable Professional Development (Pengembangan Keprofesian Berkelanjutan/PKB), particularly in madrasah education, where limited publication literacy, insufficient mentoring, and low digital scholarly competence often hinder publication outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a Sustainable Scientific Publication Clinic in improving madrasah teachers’ scientific publication competence through continuous individualized mentoring and ethical integration of digital scholarly tools. The study employed a mixed-methods approach using an explanatory sequential design involving 30 teachers from Madrasah Tsanawiyah (MTs) and Madrasah Aliyah (MA). Quantitative data were collected using a pretest–posttest scientific publication competence questionnaire, while qualitative data were obtained through observations and semi-structured interviews with ten purposively selected participants. The intervention was implemented over three months through academic writing workshops, individualized coaching, ethical use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), Mendeley training, and Open Journal System (OJS) publication mentoring. Paired Sample t-test results showed a significant increase in the mean competency score from 2.26 to 4.36 (p < 0.001), with a very large effect size (Cohen’s d = 2.91) and an N-Gain of 77%. Furthermore, 73.33% of participants successfully submitted manuscripts, while 26.67% achieved article acceptance. Qualitative findings indicated that continuous mentoring, ethical AI utilization, and digital scholarly tools reduced writing barriers, strengthened self-efficacy, and improved participants’ readiness to complete the publication process. These findings suggest that the Sustainable Scientific Publication Clinic provides an effective, technology-supported, and output-oriented mentoring model for strengthening teachers’ scientific publication competence and supporting sustainable professional development.