TEACHERS’ AND STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS TOWARDS THE USE OF CHATGPT TO IMPROVE WRITING IN THE MALAYSIAN SECONDARY SCHOOL CONTEXT

The use of artificial intelligence in education has gained traction among teachers as well as students in recent years. Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered language models such as ChatGPT have been widely used for various purposes, including to produce improved writing. This study sought to investigate the perceptions of secondary school students and English teachers in Malaysian public schools on the use of ChatGPT to enhance students’ English writing. Alongside that, this study also investigated how ChatGPT was used by both students and teachers and factors that influenced their use of ChatGPT. This study employed a qualitative research design. The participants in this study hail from six schools around Sabah: SMK Tansau, Penampang; SM St. Michael, Penampang; SMK Shan Tao, Kota Kinabalu; SMK Bongawan II; SMK Umas-Umas, Tawau; and SMK Desa Kencana, Lahad Datu. A total of 20 participants participated in this study. 12 of them were students, and the rest were English teachers. Data for this study was collected using an open-ended questionnaire designed based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The data were analyzed thematically. The findings of the study showed that both students and teachers generally believe ChatGPT to be an effective tool to enhance students’ English writing proficiency. Among the features of ChatGPT that were lauded by the participants were its ability to provide personalized feedback and perform tasks that are useful for writing, such as proofreading and idea generation. Several challenges were also pointed out, such as difficulties using ChatGPT due to lack of resources and digital literacy. The participants also expressed their concern about the possibility of overdependency on ChatGPT, which can hamper the development of the students ability to write independently. The findings of this study contributed to the current knowledge of the perceptions of the use of ChatGPT among secondary school students and English teachers in Malaysian public secondary schools. This knowledge can guide educators and policymakers on matters related to the integration of AI into English writing instruction.