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The Korean Association for the Study of English Language and Linguistics
[ Article ]
Korea Journal of English Language and Linguistics - Vol. 25, No. 0, pp.686-706
ISSN: 1598-1398 (Print) 2586-7474 (Online)
Print publication date 31 Jan 2025
Received 03 Jan 2025 Revised 21 Apr 2025 Accepted 14 May 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15738/kjell.25..202505.686

EFL Student Engagement with ChatGPT in College Reading Classes via Prompts and Perceptions

Hyejin Yang
Assistant Professor, School of Liberal Arts, Korea University of Technology and Education, Tel: 041-560-1661 hjyang1112@gmail.com


© 2025 KASELL All rights reserved
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

This study explored EFL students’ interactions with ChatGPT, focusing on their prompting practices and perceptions towards ChatGPT in a college English class. A total of 36 university freshmen enrolled in English classes at a university participated in this study. Conversation logs from Weeks 4, 9, and 13 and Week 14 questionnaire responses were collected. Eleven prompt types were identified and analyzed for frequency, and Chi-squared tests examined prompt usage differences over time. Questionnaire data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and independent samples t-tests, while qualitative responses were interpreted using grounded theory to examine students’ opinions. Findings showed that students generated 11 prompt types, with information requests related to assigned passages being most frequent and increasing over time. Prompts for word definitions and sentence editing were also common, though their usage varied across three worksheets. Students revealed positive attitudes toward ChatGPT, valuing its fast responses, ease of use, and support for reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar skills. However, challenges such as repetitive inquiry patterns, information overload from ChatGPT, and limited support for advanced grammar concepts were noted. The study underscores the importance of fostering prompt literacy in AI-supported language classes, helping students craft precise prompts and engage actively with ChatGPT. Despite limitations, the findings highlight ChatGPT’s potential as a supplementary tool for language learning. Future research should expand to diverse student groups, use standardized assessments, and conduct longitudinal studies to track changes in language proficiency and ChatGPT usage over time, further enhancing its integration into language education.

Keywords:

ChatGPT, generative AI, prompts, perceptions, college English

Acknowledgments

This paper was supported by the new professor research program of KOREATECH in 2023.

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