Exploring GenAI Impacts on Thai EFL Undergraduates’ Writing Process Patterns and Writing Behaviors

บทคัดย่อ

GenAI is a critical factor in the learning behaviors associated with students' writing development. The conventional writing process is based on the principles of writing behaviors and process patterns and comprises four or five phases. There is a scarcity of research investigating changes in students' writing process patterns resulting from the use of AI technologies. The objectives of this study were to explore the impacts of GenAI on writing process patterns and to determine the writing behaviors of Thai EFL undergraduates. The research included a survey of 91 undergraduates who were majoring in English. A descriptive statistic was employed to analyze the quantitative data obtained from an online questionnaire. The qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings showed that most students completed the assignment using a variety of writing process patterns, transitioning from the third, fourth, and fifth patterns to the first and second patterns. The students’ writing behaviors in the planning and composing stages underwent a substantial transition from self-reliance to AI-reliance after the introduction of GenAI. It may be advisable for educators to monitor students' writing progress by gradually prompting them to reflect on their learning with GenAI and to focus on their writing process rather than assessing their writing proficiency.