FREQUENCY OF USE OF GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND STUDENTS’ MECHANICAL ACCURACY IN ESSAY WRITING ACHIEVEMENT AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN NIGERIA

This study set out to determine if there is any relationship between the frequency of use of general Artificial Intelligence and students’ mechanical accuracy in essay writing achievement in secondary schools in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abaji, Nigeria. Despite the widespread use of Generative Artificial Intelligence tools for essay writing, little is known about how students in developing countries like Nigeria frequently use them and how this use relates to their mechanical accuracy. The study was guided by two objectives, two research questions, and two null hypotheses. A correlational survey research design was adopted for the study. Through multi-stage sampling procedure, eighty (80) secondary school 2 students from two public secondary schools in Abaji (one of the five Area Councils in FCT) were selected as the sample of the study. Two research instruments were used for data collection. These were Frequency of Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools Questionnaire (FUGAITQ) and Essay Writing Achievement Test (EWCT) which were developed by the researchers. The data were analyzed using the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient. Findings reveal that the use of generative AI tools remains low among students and their mechanical accuracy in essay writing achievement is also low. They therefore recommend sensitization on the propers use of Generative AI tools among students, and that this be included in classroom activities to ensure easy access and improve students’ mechanical accuracy in essay writing in Abaji, Nigeria.