Exploring AI-Mediated Writing Practices among Algerian EFL Students through Technology Acceptance Model and Self-Regulated Learning Perspectives

Abstract

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly evolved, creating different and new ways in which students deal with English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing. Many concerns about learners’ dependence on content generated by such tools are raised, even though their potential benefits have been investigated. The present study aims at exploring AI-mediated writing practices among EFL students in Algerian higher education through Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) perspectives. For this purpose, a descriptive exploratory design was adopted with 56 EFL students at Ecole Normale Supérieure Assia Djebar of Constantine, Algeria.  A questionnaire consisting of closed-ended questions and one open-ended question was administered to collect data which were subsequently analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis of students’ responses.  The findings reveal that the main reasons for students’ use of AI tools are brainstorming, vocabulary development, grammar correction, and text organization improvement. AI is perceived to be useful at different stages of the writing process, especially planning and drafting. However, a more complex engagement with AI is revealed through the qualitative findings. Some students perceive it as a support to learning while others think that they have started to increasingly rely on it and consequently feel less confident in independent writing. As indicated by the findings, perceived usefulness significantly influences AI acceptance, and whether AI functions as cognitive scaffolding or a substitute for independent writing efforts is largely determined by how students are engaged with it. Finally, the study highlights the need for developing students’ AI literacy and self-regulated learning strategies to promote responsible, critical, and ethical use of AI in EFL writing contexts.