The impact of ethical generative AI use on academic integrity and writing performance among EFL university students
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Abstract
The purpose of this article is to analyze the ethical use of artificial intelligence and its impact on the academic integrity of writing among students of English as a foreign language at the Escuela Politécnica Superior de Chimborazo. This is a non-experimental, correlational study. Data were collected through an online questionnaire using a Likert scale and through the analysis of essays using an evaluation rubric. For data collection, we used an online questionnaire with a Likert scale and analyzed essays using an evaluation rubric. A census sample was taken of 26 ESPOCH students duly enrolled in the sixth semester of the School of Business Administration during the period from March to July 2026. The results of the research show that artificial intelligence has provided a cognitive framework for grammatical review and source verification. After confirming the normality of the data using the Shapiro-Wilk test, Pearson’s correlation coefficient demonstrated positive, direct, and statistically significant relationships between the ethical use of AI and academic integrity, as well as with writing performance, thereby supporting the research hypothesis. It is concluded that the transparent and self-regulated integration of AI-assisted writing acts as a supportive tutor that enhances linguistic quality without compromising academic honesty.
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