The effect of artificial intelligence-supported writing training on the writing achievement and self-efficacy perception of 7th grade student: A mixed methods research study

The study aimed to examine the effect of artificial intelligence-supported writing education on the writing achievement and self-efficacy of 7th grade middle school students. An explanatory sequential design from mixed research methods was used in the study. The quantitative part of the study used a pretest-posttest matched control group quasi-experimental design, while the qualitative part used a phenomenological design. The study group consisted of 34 students in the 7th grade at a middle school in Giresun. The research was conducted during the 2023-2024 academic year. Purposeful sampling, one of the non-random sampling methods, was preferred in determining the study group. The implementation process of the study lasted a total of 20 weeks and was conducted face-to-face. The data for the research were obtained using a "personal information form, electronic writing habits scale, informative text writing success assessment scale, graded scoring key used to determine narrative text writing levels, writing self-efficacy scale for middle school students, and semi-structured interview form." Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS 26, while qualitative data were analyzed using MAXQDA 22. Findings from quantitative data indicate that AI-supported writing instruction improved the informative and narrative text writing success of students in the experimental group. Furthermore, it was found that students' writing self-efficacy increased after the application. Findings from qualitative data indicate that the ChatGPT artificial intelligence tool positively reflected on students' writing experiences, facilitated writing, reduced spelling errors, motivated writing, and reduced writing anxiety, among other prominent student opinions. In conclusion, it was found that AI-supported writing instruction contributes to the writing success and self-efficacy of 7th grade middle school students. Recommendations can be made regarding providing training to students on the process of creating accurate prompts and conducting writing exercises using various artificial intelligence tools.