BUSINESS EDUCATORS’ PERCEPTION ON THE USE OF AI-POWERED TOOLS IN ACADEMIC WRITING AMONG BUSINESS EDUCATION STUDENTS IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS IN CROSS RIVER STATE

Abstract

With the recent advancement in AI technologies, AI-powered tools have been developed to help users improve their academic writing skills. However ‘concerns loom’ amidst the huge potentials of AI-powered writing tools. The main purpose of the study was to assess Business Educators’ perception on the use of AI-powered tools in academic writing among business education students in tertiary institutions in Cross River State. The design of the study was descriptive survey research design. The population comprised 52 (males 30 and females 22) business educators in two public universities in Cross River State: University of Calabar (Unical) and University of Cross River State (Uncross). The population size was manageable, so the census sampling technique was adopted. A researcher-designed questionnaire titled Questionnaire on Business Educators’ perception on the use of AI-powered tools in academic Writing (QCLAI-PTAW) was used in data collection. The instrument has twenty items in two clusters. Cluster one: ethical concerns (10 items) and cluster two: cognitive concerns (10 items). The instrument was validated by three experts and a trial testing was conducted using 20 respondents in Akwa Ibom State. The data were tested for reliability using Cronbach Alpha coefficient. Results obtained were cluster one 0.85 and cluster two 0.86. The overall reliability coefficient obtained was 0.91. Mean and Standard Deviation were used to answer the research question while t-test was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Findings indicated that ethical and cognitive concerns are major challenges in leveraging AI-powered tools in academic writing among business education students in tertiary institutions in Cross River State. Furthermore, Ethical and cognitive concerns did not differ significantly by gender or by the institution attended. It was recommended among others that management of tertiary institutions should have regulatory frameworks that promote ethical AI use, ensure equitable access, and safeguard academic integrity.