Integrating ChatGPT into Academic Writing: An Exploration of EFL Undergraduate Students’ Challenges and Strategies at Private Universities in Lampung

Abstract

The development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is accelerating rapidly, making it easier for English for Foreign Language (EFL) students to support their academic activities.  This study aims to examine students’ challenges and strategies in utilizing ChatGPT for their academic writing. The study focuses on private Islamic higher education institutions in Lampung Province by including 65 English undergraduate students. Data were collected through a structured Yes/No questionnaire designed to assess various aspects of students’ activities. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including frequencies and percentages.  The findings revealed that the level of ChatGPT use in the writing process was very high and covered various stages of academic writing activities. Most students (96.9%) used ChatGPT to assist in writing opinion texts and to generate ideas or outlines, while 95.4% utilized it to check or revise the organization of their writing. Its use for language development was also quite dominant, with 81.5% of students using ChatGPT to improve grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structure.