ENHANCING ENGLISH ESSAY WRITING THROUGH AI-BASED DIGITAL TOOLS: INSIGHTS FROM INDONESIAN EFL STUDENTS

Authors

Keywords:

AI-Based Digital Tools, Digital Scaffolding, EFL Writing, Essay Writing, Secondary School Students

Abstract

The increasing integration of artificial intelligence (AI)-based digital tools has reshaped English writing instruction, particularly in EFL contexts where students often struggle with idea development, linguistic accuracy, vocabulary use, and textual coherence. This study investigates how Indonesian senior high school students utilize AI-based digital tools in writing English essays, with particular attention to ChatGPT, Grammarly, and DeepL. Employing a qualitative descriptive design, the study analyzed 28 final essays written by twelfth-grade students in the Language Studies major at a public senior high school in Makassar, Indonesia. The essays were examined through thematic analysis using four analytical dimensions: structure and organization, grammar and syntax, vocabulary use, and coherence and cohesion. The findings reveal that AI-based tools contributed most visibly to improved essay organization, lexical expansion, and local textual flow. Students’ essays showed clearer paragraph sequencing, more academic and topic-specific vocabulary, and stronger use of cohesive devices. However, grammatical accuracy and idiomatic control remained uneven, with persistent issues such as tense inconsistency, article errors, translation-like syntax, and mechanical transitions. This study contributes to AI-assisted EFL writing research by offering text-based evidence from an underexplored secondary-school context and by conceptualizing AI support as a multi-tool writing ecology rather than a single technological intervention.

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Author Biographies

Muh. Al Al Fachrizah, Universitas Negeri Makassar

Muh. Al Fachrizah Fitra is a doctoral candidate in English Language Education at the State University of Makassar, Indonesia. He received his master's degree in English Education from State University of Makassar, Indonesia (UNM) and his bachelor's degree from Moeslim University of Indonesia (UMI), Makassar, Indonesia. After completing his master's studies, he dedicated himself to writing several papers in the areas of English Education and English Literature; for that, he has published national and international articles. Until now, he has continued his studies in a doctoral program. His research interests include academic writing pedagogy, digital scaffolding, AI-Based Digital Tools, autonomous learning, technology-enhanced language learning, and discourse analysis. He has been actively involved in teaching English for academic purposes and mentoring student research projects. Currently, he is conducting research on the integration of scaffolding strategies and digital tools to foster students’ autonomous writing skills in higher education contexts for his dissertation. For now, he focuses on his Scopus publication as the requirements for his doctoral degree. He also serves as a youth mentor in community-based educational programs focusing on digital literacy and language learning. He can be contacted at email: muhalfachrizahfitra@gmail.com for further academic inquiries or collaborations

Sultan Baa, Universitas Negeri Makassar

Sultan Baa is a lecturer of the English Education Department at the State University of Makassar, Indonesia. He is a professor. He was appointed as a lecturer at the university in 2005. He obtained his Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Australia through the Australian Awards Scholarship (AAS). He has researched extensively in the areas of education and culture. His areas of expertise include Content-Based Language Teaching, English Language Pedagogy, Cross-cultural and Writing skills. These studies have been published 20 in Scopus-indexed and more than 100 refereed indexed articles, both national and international, and with extensive experience in both domestic and international educational contexts, he is well-known among students as a highly approachable lecturer who enjoys engaging in academic discussions and idea exchanges. He can be contacted at email: sultan7304@unm.ac.id 

Ulvah Sari, Universitas Kurnia Jaya Persada

Ulvah Sari is an English lecturer in Kurnia Jaya Persada University, Palopo, Indonesia. She finished her studies at Muhammadiyah University of Makassar in the English Department, Faculty of English Education in 2018, and she continued her master’s study at the State University of Makassar in the same major. After completing her master’s studies, she served as an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) lecturer in midwifery department at the faculty of public health in 2022 until now. She has studied and researched extensively and has widely joined and published articles in the areas of Education. Currently, she always joins with her partner to construct an article and focuses on publishing it in a Scopus-indexed journal for her career. She can be contacted at email: ulvah.sari23@gmail.com

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Published

2026-05-29

How to Cite

Al Fachrizah, M. A., Baa, S., Samtidar, S., Mustikawati, Y., & Sari, U. (2026). ENHANCING ENGLISH ESSAY WRITING THROUGH AI-BASED DIGITAL TOOLS: INSIGHTS FROM INDONESIAN EFL STUDENTS. Getsempena English Education Journal, 13(1), 15–31. Retrieved from https://ejournal.bbg.ac.id/index.php/geej/article/view/3861

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