Unpacking GAI’s impacts on doctoral students’ metacognitive experiences in summary writing: A mixed methods approach

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Abstract

This study explored whether and how GAI use affects L2 doctoral students' metacognitive experiences in summary writing, using a sequential explanatory mixed methods design. Quantitative analysis of the EFL Learners’ Writing Metacognitive Experiences Questionnaire showed that GAI users reported slightly less intensive metacognitive experiences than non-users, and they scored significantly lower on online task-specific metacognitive strategies, suggesting a reduced metacognitive engagement in GAI-mediated summary writing. Further analysis of stimulated recalls and semi-structured interviews identified writing motivation, self-efficacy, academic genre knowledge, and human-AI division of labour as key contributors to these differences. The findings offer useful insights into GAI’s impacts on metacognition and provide practical guidance for fostering responsible GAI use in academic writing.

Authors

• Min Zou, Beijing Institute of Technology

• Huiqing Quan, Beijing Institute of Technology

• Liang Huang, Southeast University