A Study on the Use of ChatGPT in a College English Composition Course

This study investigated the effectiveness of a ChatGPT-integrated instructional approach in a college-level English composition course. The course employed a mixed instructional model: traditional teacher-centered instruction during the first half of the semester and ChatGPT-assisted learning in the second half. Data were collected through three stages of writing proficiency tests (pre-, mid-, and post-tests), writing self-efficacy surveys, weekly writing assignments, and student surveys and interviews. The findings revealed notable improvements in students’ writing proficiency and writing self-efficacy following the implementation of ChatGPT-based instruction. Additionally, the analysis of student writing demonstrated enhanced organization and linguistic accuracy. Students expressed positive perceptions of ChatGPT and employed it strategically for idea generation, lexical variation, and error correction. These results suggest that integrating generative AI tools such as ChatGPT can effectively support the development of writing skills and learner autonomy in EFL contexts.