Factors Influencing the University Students’ Acceptance of ChatGPT in English Academic Writing

Abstract

ChatGPT is a renowned AI writing tool that offers students various advantages, including personalised assistance, instant responses, and comprehensive feedback. While ChatGPT has demonstrated great acceptance among university students, little research has been conducted on factors influencing their acceptance of this tool. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate factors influencing university students’ acceptance of ChatGPT in English academic writing in Malaysia and those that influenced students’ behavioural intention most. This study adopted the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to discover whether university students’ acceptance of ChatGPT was influenced by performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions. This research employed a quantitative approach with a cross-sectional survey design. A 22-question survey was distributed online to students studying at one public university in Malaysia, and a total of 297 completed responses were finally collected. Pearson’s correlation tests, a stepwise multiple regression, and a simple linear regression were used to analyse the data. The findings revealed that social influence, effort expectancy, and performance expectancy influenced university students’ acceptance of ChatGPT in their English academic writing but not facilitating conditions. In addition, social influence was found to be the most influencing factor on the students’ behavioural intention to use ChatGPT, and students’ behavioural intention had a moderate predictive effect on the actual use of ChatGPT. These findings offer valuable insights on the role of these factors in influencing the students’ readiness and openness in accepting ChatGPT in their English academic writing.