Teachers’ Perceptions and Students’ Strategies in Using AI-Mediated Informal Digital Learning for Career ESL Writing
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22042134 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Lan Thi Huong Nguyen (0009-0003-5851-2201, Hanoi National University of Education), Hanh Dinh (0000-0002-8568-6560, Vermont Technical College, corresponding author), Thi Bich Nguyen Dao (Hanoi National University of Education), Ngoc Giang Tran (0000-0002-3846-9475, Hanoi National University of Education) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue | 10 |
| Pages | 1414 |
| Publication date | 2025-10-21 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Education Sciences (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2227-7102 • E-ISSN: 2227-7102 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/educsci15101414 |
| OpenAlex | W4415403116 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 42 |
This study aims to explore teachers’ perceptions and students’ strategies when integrating AI-mediated informal digital learning of English tools (AI-IDLE) into career ESL writing instruction. This case study involved six university instructors and over 300 students in an English writing course. Although AI-IDLE has broadened English access beyond classrooms, existing research on writing skills often neglects students’ diverse strategies that correspond to their professional aspirations, as well as teachers’ perceptions. The data included a demographic questionnaire, think-aloud protocols for real-time assessment of cognitive processes during the task, and semi-structured interviews for teachers’ validation. Findings reveal three major student strategies: (1) explicit genre understanding, (2) student-driven selection of digital multimodal tools—such as Grammarly, ChatGPT, Canva with Magic Write, and Invideo—to integrate text with images, sound, and layout for improved rhetorical accessibility, and (3) alignment with students’ post-graduation career needs. Students’ work with these AI tools demonstrated that when they created projects aligned with professional identities and future job needs, they became more aware of how to improve their writing; however, the teachers expressed hopes and doubts about the tools’ effectiveness and authenticity of the students’ work. Suggestions to use AI-IDLE to improve writing were provided
Collaborative writing · English as a second language · Informal learning · Perception · Professional writing · Rhetorical question · Technical writing · Digital literacy in education · E-Learning and COVID-19 · Technology-Enhanced Education Studies
Exploring AI-mediated informal digital learning of English (AI-Idle)
Impact of Educational Technology on Teacher Stress and Anxiety
Informal digital learning of English (Idle)
Chatting and cheating
A virtual reality-based collaborative argument mapping approach in the EFL classroom
The role of informal digital learning of English and L2 motivational self system in foreign language enjoyment
Generative AI for professional communication training in intercultural contexts
Affective variables and informal digital learning of English
The role of informal digital learning of English and a high-stakes English test on perceptions of English as an international language
Ecological factors affecting students' use of informal digital learning of English
On the relationship between EFL students' attitudes toward artificial intelligence, teachers' immediacy and teacher-student rapport, and their willingness to communicate
Modeling EFL teachers’ intention to integrate informal digital learning of English (Idle) into the classroom using the theory of planned behavior
Informal digital learning of English and perceptions of using EIL materials
From Rural China to the Digital Wilds
When Idle Hands Make an English Workshop
Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations
Taking risky opportunities in youthful content creation
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |