Doctoral students’ use of GenAI tools to support academic writing: Opportunities and risks

This is a narrative inquiry into the learning experiences of five ESL doctoral student sojourners in an academic writing course, focusing on: i) their readiness to use GenAI tools to support their academic writing; and ii) the benefits and risks associated with the use of GenAI in academic writing. Theoretically informed by Norton’s (2013) work on identity and language learning, seen from a sociocultural lens (Pavlenko & Lantolf, 2000), this study examines the meanings that the participants attached to their use of GenAI tools during their learning and their identity (re-)construction in their learning process. A narrative of each student’s learning experiences was constructed based on the data collected from questionnaires and interviews with the participants. A thematic analysis was also conducted to highlight the common and idiosyncratic features of their learning experiences. The narratives in this study reveal the benefits and challenges associated with doctoral students’ use of GenAI tools and the help and support that they need to use these tools effectively. The narratives also show that their identities were constantly (re-)constructed during their learning process. This study sheds light on the importance of enhancing students’ learning experiences by integrating GenAI technologies in teaching practices.