EFL Students’ Attitudes Towards the Use of ChatGPT in Learning How to Write Essays: Vietnamese Context

The emergence of the Fourth Industrial Revolution has created opportunities for the development of platforms to be integrated into English language learning (ELL). Appearing in late 2022, ChatGPT has gained widespread popularity due to its usefulness across all fields. This study investigates how ChatGPT affects students when learning essay writing and students’ attitudes towards the implementation of such chatbots in learning essay writing. Data collection involved distribution of a questionnaire to 150 university students majoring in English language. Additionally, eight participants participated in a semi-structured interview to provide deeper insights. The findings revealed that students view the generation of ideas, the enhancement of coherence and cohesion, the expansion of vocabulary, the improvement of grammatical skills, and the acquisition of suitable ideas for abstract topics as key benefits of ChatGPT. Meanwhile, cheating, excessive dependency, and unreliable replies are amongst the challenges EFL students reported. while ChatGPT holds promise as a supplementary tool in EFL writing instruction, its use must be guided by appropriate pedagogical strategies to mitigate associated risks. The findings contribute to a growing body of research on artificial intelligence in language education and suggest directions for future studies across varied educational contexts.