Toward AI‑literate and genre awareness
TL;DR
Revision tasks using ChatGPT were embedded into a 15-week SFL–GBA writing class at a university in Japan and showed a gradual shift toward a more academic register with higher lexical density and more nominalizations.
Abstract
Research on artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted rewriting activities in Systemic Functional Linguistics–Genre-Based Approach (SFL–GBA) L2 writing remains limited. In this study, revision tasks using ChatGPT were embedded into a 15-week SFL–GBA writing class at a university in Japan. EFL learners wrote pre-essays in the discussion genre within a time limit and then revised the same text using ChatGPT. Their experiences were collected through a post-essay questionnaire on how ChatGPT prompted them, how well they understood the feedback, and how they felt about using it again. Pre- essay and post-revision drafts were explored to understand their selected SFL resources, including changes in the uses of Nominalization, Attribution, and theme patterns. Low-proficiency first-year students tended to use ChatGPT for local substitutions, while high-proficiency first-year students were more likely to seek guidance on word choice and genre direction. Second-year university students used ChatGPT more selectively for sentence restructuring and phrasing refinement. While EFL learners’ evaluations of the feedback were generally positive, their willingness to continue using ChatGPT varied across groups and seemed to be related to their perceptions of the clarity of the feedback. Revised drafts illustrated a gradual shift toward a more academic register with higher lexical density and more nominalizations. Changes in the use of interpersonal positioning and the use of contrasting themes to organize counterarguments were also identified.