Enhancing Chinese EFL College Students’ Engagement in Academic English Writing Through AI-Supported Tools: Student Experiences and Insights

This research explores the effects of AI-driven tools-Grammarly, Wenxin Yiyan, and Turnitin-on the academic English writing engagement of Chinese undergraduates.The study was carried out in one public university in China and in total 50 sophomore students were participated.A mixed-methods approach was adopted, incorporating a quasi-experimental study (N=50) with pre-and post-tests to measure student engagement, alongside semi-structured interviews (N=4) to explore student perceptions.The findings indicate that AI tools substantially improve students' emotional and cognitive engagement in academic writing, providing personalized learning experiences and prompt feedback.The implementation of these tools promotes an interactive and supportive learning environment, thereby encouraging increased participation and critical thinking.Nevertheless, the study also identifies potential issues related to over-dependence on AI tools, which could impede the development of critical thinking ability, including problem-solving and innovation.This study underscores a balanced teaching approach for integrating AI supported technologies into academic writing pedagogy, recommending their use as supplementary resources that augment conventional instructional methods.The results provide significant implications for educators and policymakers in optimizing English writing instruction through technology while mitigating potential negative consequences.