3.

1 Research context
This study was conducted at the Faculty of Foreign Languages of the Industrial University of Ho
Chi Minh City (IUH) and we decided to choose this place based on two primary reasons: First
and foremost, it is convenient for us to carry out the study since the Industrial University of Ho
Chi Minh City is where we are currently studying. Secondly, at FFL in IUH, it is much easier for
us to find proficient participants for the research. The participants chosen for the research topic
were English-majored juniors experiencing the conducive functions of the ways Chat-GPT had
significantly impacted their study at university, particularly its positive influence on their writing
skills. These participants underwent a preliminary round to ensure they met the established
criteria." Therefore, they suited the study incredibly. Due to the reasons listed above, the
researchers chose FFL in IUH as a place to do the research.
3.2. Participants/Objects:
This study recruited participants from the junior English-major students at the Industrial
University of Ho Chi Minh City (IUH). A total of 110 English major students participated in this
study, drawn from various classrooms to ensure a diversified viewpoint on the benefits and
problems of utilizing Chat-GPT to enhance writing skills. Among them:
 100 students were chosen to complete the survey questionnaire to provide quantitative
data analysis.
 10 students participated in offline interviews to meet the demands of qualitative insights
assembly.
All participants experienced the implementation of ChatGPT in the academic writing process
before becoming participants in the study. They were presented in ChatGPT through their course
or their exploration, and had spent time exploring the tools to reinforce their writing. This allows
them to provide a sufficient informational perspective on benefits and limitations. Participants
were selected based on the following criteria:
 They were junior English-majored students who were actively involved in academic
writing.
 They had previously utilized ChatGPT for writing tasks, such as essay composition,
grammar correction, and idea development.
 They especially varied in the performable ability of Chat-GPT through familiarity and
frequency implementation, drawing different perceptions for the research.
This study has the noble mission of laying the empirical foundation on participants who have
experienced using Chat-GPT for academic purposes, especially in subjects and skills related to
writing, along with the impact that Chat-GPT can bring to users through aspects such as the
benefits that students can achieve or the challenges they have to face during the usage process.
To answer the research question we posed at the outset, participants play a crucial and
indispensable role for researchers to achieve the necessary results.
3.3. Research methodology and research methods
3.3.1 Research methodology:
A mixed-methodology approach was conducted through this study, leveraging and optimizing
the advantages of both quantitative and qualitative research methods to provide a comprehensive
perspective for the study by analyzing students' experiences with the use of ChatGPT for
academic writing purposes. First of all, applying the quantitative method will support the
research by conducting large-scale surveys to ensure objective factors such as flexibility and
easy access to collect participants' assessments and opinions. On the other hand, the qualitative
method allows researchers to conduct interviews with participants to explore their attitudes,
behaviors, and experiences and gain deeper insights into the impact that ChatGPT brings to them
in the context of enhancing their writing skills. The diversity and integration of both methods
provide the research topic with a solid foundation for data analysis and uncovering profound
insights of participants.
3.3.2 Research methods:

 Questionnaires:

Through the research objectives of the topic, we have taken advantage of it to create a
comprehensive, structured survey. It focuses on closed-ended questions, regarding:

 The benefits of using ChatGPT in enhancing writing skills.

 The challenges faced by students while using ChatGPT.
 General perceptions of AI-assisted writing tools.

The survey questionnaire was distributed to 100 English-majored juniors at IUH. To guarantee
precise understanding, participants got detailed pieces of information about how to comprehend
the survey. Data was collected via a Google Form, with responses requested within 24 hours,
either during class sessions or via an online platform, to ensure timely submission. The
anonymity of the participants was maintained to encourage honest feedback.

 Interviews:

To comprehend the survey statistics, 10 selected participants of FFL juniors at IUH were
chosen to conduct the semi-structured interviews. These 10 students varied from the 100
participants who completed the survey questionnaire, ensuring a broader range of perspectives.
The interview guidelines include a practical structure, and open-ended questions also exploring
the students’ insights with ChatGPT.

 Interviews were planned at convenient times and locations for participants.

 Each interview lasted approximately 15 – 20 minutes.
 Participants were energized to share their essential insights beyond the arranged
questions.
  Interviews were recorded (with consent) and afterward deciphered for qualitative
examination.

3.4. Procedures:
The major methods applied to this research aimed to collect data in this study were survey
questionnaires (quantitative approach) and semi-structured interviews (qualitative approach).
These two methods played an indispensable role in the perceptual perception of students'
experiences with ChatGPT in academic writing. The research was conducted over 14 weeks and
was carefully structured into three distinct phases to ensure a systematic and thorough
investigation.

Stage Duration Activities

Preparation Week 1-2 Determining the literature review, refining the outline.

Implementation Week 3-4 Composing and editing survey and interview questions.

Data conduction Week 5-6 Conducting survey questionnaires and interviews.

Data collection Week 7-8 Gathering and acknowledging responses.
Data analysis Week 9-10 Analyzing statistics: survey and interview results.

Interpretation & reporting Week 11-12 Designing findings and interpreting the report.

Finalization Week 13-14 Utilizing and proposing the final report.

3.5 Data analysis

The data gathered in this research derived from two primary sources: the survey questionnaire
(quantitative data) and semi-structured interviews (qualitative data). These methods were
conducted to utilize an in-depth acknowledgement of how students engage with ChatGPT in
academic writing proficiency, the challenges they encounter, and their prior perspective of its
benefits.

Survey Questionnaire Analysis

  In the agenda, the survey was designed to evaluate the encounters that students have to
deal with ChatGPT in composing assignments. A scaling of up to 100 participants
completed the survey under the instruction and supervision of researchers.
 Applied Excel software to analyze and digitize data to collect students'
opinions/agreements on the aspects of benefits and challenges in using Chat-GPT, as well
as created bar charts and pie charts to depict trends and comparison of statistics to
emphasize the main ideas of the information.

Interview Data Analysis

 To complement the survey findings, 10 students participated in semi-structured

interviews to provide qualitative insights into their experiences with ChatGPT.
 Interview responses were transcribed and analyzed thematically, allowing researchers
to identify patterns and categorize key findings. Recurring themes were grouped to
compare with the quantitative survey results, ensuring a well-rounded perspective on
ChatGPT’s role in academic writing.

Data Visualization and Interpretation

 As far as concerned, the statistic was presented through visual tools to meet the clarity
enhancement demand, for instance: pie charts, bar graphs, or even tables.
 By integrating quantitative and qualitative data, this study presents a well-rounded
analysis of students’ interactions with ChatGPT in academic writing. The next chapter
will further explore these findings and discuss their implications for AI-assisted learning
in higher education.