Speaker
Description
The growing adoption of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed academic reading in English medium of instruction (EMI) contexts. However, as students increasingly rely on AI, questions arise about their capacity to maintain learner agency. However, while previous studies have mostly focused on the effectiveness and acceptability of AI applications, little attention has been paid to students’ responsible use of AI while maintaining learner agency. This study investigated learner agency in responsible use of AI in academic reading of EMI students in Vietnam. Explanatory sequential design of mixed methods research was applied. In the quantitative phase of the research, questionnaires were completed by 100 EMI students, and the data were statistically analyzed in order to investigate learner agency and responsible AI-assisted academic reading of the participants. The outcomes of the quantitative phase were then used in the qualitative phase of the study where ten purposively sampled participants underwent semi-structured interviews, and thematic analysis of interview data was performed in order to better understand participant experiences and decisions regarding AI use in academic reading. The findings revealed that regular use of AI does not mean learner agency. Instead, students with high level of metacognition were better able to to craft appropriate prompts, critically evaluate AI-generated output, and decide when to read independently rather than rely on AI assistance. These findings suggest that fostering metacognitive skills should be prioritized in EMI curricula to help students use AI responsibly without compromising their learner agency.
Keywords: Learner agency, responsible AI use, self-regulated learning, English-medium instruction, Generative AI
