Speaker
Abstract section 2: Contribution/research questions
This action research uncovers authentic, student-driven practices surrounding AI use when explicit instructor guidelines are absent. It asks:
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How do freshmen in an English-medium environment autonomously use and perceive AI tools to bridge language gaps?
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How do students navigate academic integrity and establish "safe" usage rules when faculty provide limited or vague AI guidelines?
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What specific instructions or guidelines do students actually desire from their professors regarding AI use?
Abstract section 3: Content/method
This mixed-methods action research involves first-year university students in a CLIL-based English lecture course and utilizes a two-phase design. Phase 1 involved an anonymous quantitative survey assessing baseline AI usage and confidence. Phase 2 implemented a pedagogical intervention where students acted as qualitative co-researchers. They interviewed peers regarding unsupervised AI habits, wrote academic reports synthesizing these findings, and completed post-project reflections to measure changes in digital literacy, confidence, and their self-generated rules for AI use.
Abstract section 4: Outcomes/results
Preliminary Phase 1 data established a clear instruction gap: while 84% of students actively use AI in English courses, 57% lack confidence in using it correctly, and 94% desire explicit training. Initial findings also reveal a heavy student reliance on AI for translation and grammar correction, with over 70% relying on AI to translate submission content from Japanese. Phase 2 qualitative peer interviews explore how students negotiate these anxieties and independently construct ethical boundaries. The presentation will discuss these outcomes and explore pedagogical strategies to promote transparent AI policies.
Abstract section 1: Relevance
While Generative AI and machine translation are ubiquitous in higher education, institutional policies often lag, leaving students to navigate ethical boundaries independently. Rather than relying on strict prohibition, there is a growing discussion to develop and promote students' critical digital literacies. This study addresses the “instruction gap” between abstract academic integrity policies and actual student practices by exploring how freshmen in an English-medium program construct their own ethical frameworks when explicit policies are absent, transitioning them from passive users to critical evaluators of AI tools.
| Title | Navigating Unregulated AI: A First-Year Action Research |
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| Teaching Context | College and university education |