A Tool for Change in Higher Education: Empowering Student Learning and Wellbeing through Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI)
Abstract
This study examines how ChatGPT was used as a guided learning support tool in a Research Methodology course for third-year Communication undergraduates at a private Malaysian university. Rather than treating GenAI as a replacement for student effort, the paper focuses on how students used ChatGPT during the early stages of research proposal development, particularly when generating research ideas, drafting background sections, and shaping problem statements. Data were drawn from reflective essays and classroom-based learning materials submitted by 40 students after a structured ChatGPT activity. Thematic analysis identified eight connected themes: idea generation, time efficiency, confidence building, structured thinking, broadened research perspectives, motivation and engagement, writing and language support, and awareness of GenAI limitations. The findings show that ChatGPT helped students move past the difficulty of beginning an academic research work, reduced uncertainty in academic writing, and supported more organised thinking. At the same time, students were able to recognise the tool’s limitations, especially its lack of reliable citations and the need to verify information through scholarly sources. The study argues that ChatGPT can contribute to student learning and wellbeing when it is embedded within clear pedagogical guidance, ethical expectations, and reflective practice. Its value lies not in producing finished academic work, but in supporting students to think, question, revise, and take greater ownership of their learning.
Keywords: Generative artificial intelligence, ChatGPT, student learning and wellbeing, higher education, transformative learning.
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