GENERATIVE AI AND ACADEMIC WRITING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: A THEMATIC REVIEW OF STUDENT PERCEPTIONS AND LEARNING PRACTICES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/IJMOE.831112Keywords:
Academic Integrity, Educational Ethics, Generative AI, Student Perceptions, Thematic ReviewAbstract
In higher education classrooms, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is rapidly transforming the way students approach academic writing, thereby shifting learning practices and the ethical challenges students face. To better understand this phenomenon, this paper thematically analyses qualitative insights into the students’ GenAI-assisted academic writing experience, guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Through this review, three main themes emerged. First, students view GenAI as a helpful cognitive assistant but with a potential risk of over-reliance and authenticity of their academic voice. Second, the academic writing process is shifting away from traditional drafting toward prompt engineering and editing skills. Third, students describe uncertainty navigating the ethical boundaries between acceptable assistance and academic misconduct. This paper recommends that educational institutions move beyond simply policing GenAI use towards supporting educators to actively teach critical AI literacy. By understanding how students perceive the usage of these tools, educational stakeholders can develop practical, ethical guidelines that support responsible learning and uphold the core values of higher education.
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