DETERMINING DIGITAL MATURITY AMONG ICT USERS IN MALAYSIA

While prior research on AI-assisted writing has primarily focused on surface-level gains in accuracy or anxiety reduction, this study investigates how ChatGPT-supported feedback affects EFL learners’ writing development across behavioral, cognitive, and affective dimensions. Employing a quasi-experimental mixed-methods design, 82 university-level EFL students were assigned to either a ChatGPT-supported or teacher-supported writing group. Both groups completed three writing tasks over ten weeks. The ChatGPT group received only ChatGPT feedback, while the teacher group received conventional teacher comments. Pre- and post-intervention measures included writing self-efficacy questionnaires, writing samples, and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative results showed that ChatGPT-supported feedback significantly increased revision productivity and led to more macro-level and content-based revisions. Self-efficacy gains in the ChatGPT group were also significantly higher across all three measured dimensions: substantive revision, discourse organization, and writing conventions. Qualitative findings revealed that students in the ChatGPT group perceived the feedback as clearer, more actionable, and more dialogic, which promoted revision ownership, strategic engagement, and confidence. These findings suggest that ChatGPT can function as a cognitive and emotional scaffold, enabling deeper learner engagement with feedback and supporting self-regulated revision. In contrast, teacher feedback, while valued for its credibility, was perceived as less interactive and less helpful for content-level improvement. This study highlights the pedagogical potential of integrating generative AI into process-based writing instruction. By fostering greater revision productivity, deeper feedback engagement, and enhanced writing self-efficacy, ChatGPT can serve as a catalyst for developing more autonomous and reflective EFL writers.

Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have begun to reshape language education, particularly in the area of writing instruction. In the context of English as a foreign language (EFL), this study explores the types of AI writing tools currently in use, EFL instructors’ experiences with them, and their perceptions of the role such technologies play in teaching English writing at vocational and technical colleges in China. Adopting a qualitative case study approach, the study involved semi-structured interviews with EFL writing instructors. Participants were purposefully selected based on their experience with integrating AI tools into their teaching practice. Findings suggest that teachers generally viewed AI writing tools as helpful in providing timely feedback and supporting students’ independent writing development. These tools were seen as effective in easing teachers’ routine workloads while offering pedagogically relevant suggestions and feedback to learners. However, participants also expressed concerns regarding their shifting roles in the English writing classroom, raising questions about how to balance the use of automated feedback with human instruction. The study underscores the need for clearer pedagogical frameworks to guide the integration of AI tools to ensure that teachers remain central in fostering critical thinking, language awareness, and writing competence in the EFL context.

The rapid advancement of mobile technologies has reshaped global education, particularly language learning in higher education. The systematic literature review of mobile-assisted language learning in tertiary EFL contexts from 2015 to 2025 aims to synthesise empirical evidence on how mobile technologies have been implemented and examined in English learning, focusing on key trends, pedagogical strategies, and theoretical frameworks. The significance of this study lies in consolidating fragmented research to provide evidence-based insights for educators, researchers, and policymakers seeking to integrate mobile tools effectively into tertiary English education. Following the PRISMA guidelines, 42 empirical studies were analysed from major academic databases. Results show a clear shift from technology-focused studies to pedagogically and theoretically integrated approaches, indicating that MALL has become a learner-centred and context-sensitive practice that supports both language acquisition and instructional design in tertiary EFL education. Overall, the findings highlight the growing pedagogical potential of MALL in fostering active and autonomous learning, underscoring its impact on modernising tertiary EFL instruction and shaping future research and policy directions.