Exploring Iranian EFL Learners’ Perceived Impact of Using the Artificial Intelligence Tool on their Writing Outcomes: Application of ChatGPT for Intermediate Students

Ahangari, Sara; Rashvand Semiyari, Shokouh; Najarzadegan, Sahar

doi:10.22034/ijpie.2026.595320.1249

Exploring Iranian EFL Learners’ Perceived Impact of Using the Artificial Intelligence Tool on their Writing Outcomes: Application of ChatGPT for Intermediate Students

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Sara Ahangari ¹

Shokouh Rashvand Semiyari ²

Sahar Najarzadegan ¹

¹ Department of English Language Teaching, Is. C., Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran

² Department of English Language Teaching, ET. C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

10.22034/ijpie.2026.595320.1249

Abstract

As education evolves, technology plays an increasingly crucial role in shaping instructional methods, particularly in providing personalized feedback to learners. ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, has gained attention for its ability to generate human-like responses with remarkable accuracy. This research scrutinized the impact of ChatGPT on the development of intermediate learners' writing skills and the relationship between learners' attitudes towards AI applications and their writing performance in an Iranian EFL context. To this end, 200 homogenized male and female English learners from IAU West and East Tehran Branches were divided into experimental and control group in order to conduct a quasi-experimental research (i.e., pretest- Treatment- Posttest). Moreover, the survey developed by Grajeda et al. (2024) was administered to the participants after the study to examine participants' perceptions regarding the impact of using AI tools on their writing tasks Linear Regression, the ANOVA test, Pearson Correlation, and the independent samples t-test were employed to analyze the data. The results revealed that five key dimensions of AI significantly predicted learners' performance on the writing test, furthermore, significant relationships were highlighted between learners’ attitudes toward AI applications and their writing performance. The results of independent samples t-test also indicated that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group in writing test. Implications of the study and directions for further research were also discussed.

Keywords

Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, Learner’s perception, Writing Performance

Subjects