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Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Special Issue on CALL Number 11. July 2025 Pp. 192-209
Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez, Morocco
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is improving research methods in higher education worldwide, encouraging scholarly creativity and accelerating research. This article explores the use of artificial intelligence among Moroccan doctoral students in the context of PhD dissertations and article writing. It offers a new perspective not only on attitudes towards artificial intelligence but also on practices within Moroccan doctoral education. A mixed-methods approach is used to evaluate postgraduate behaviour and ethical practices related to Artificial Intelligence. Based on responses from 80 participants in a questionnaire administered to first-, second, and third-year doctoral students at Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez, the study collected both quantitative and qualitative data through a combination of closed-ended and open-ended questions. For quantitative analysis, SPSS version 27 was employed, including both descriptive and inferential statistics to answer the research questions. The qualitative data were analysed thematically. Ethical considerations were prioritised, including informed consent and confidentiality measures for respondents. Results show that 76.3% of PhD students utilise artificial intelligence for thesis-related activities, such as brainstorming ideas and designing outlines, with some holding neutral views and most showing moderate agreement regarding its use. The study concludes that there is an urgent need for artificial intelligence literacy training in Moroccan universities to promote responsible use, as well as for universities to establish clear guidelines for their ethics committees.
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Fatima Zahra Aich is a second-year PhD student at Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University- Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, Sais, Fez, Morocco. She is an English teacher at Sidi Lahcen Lyoussi High School in Sefrou. She holds a CELTA certificate from the British Council, Casablanca. She is keen on exploring the application of artificial intelligence in education. https://orcid.org/0009-0007-0694-2743
Lahoucine Boumahdy, PhD researcher at Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University -Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, Dhar El Mahraz, Fez, Morocco. Fulbright Visiting Scholar at The Clorinda Donato Centre for Romance Languages and Translation Studies, California State University, Long Beach, USA. Senior Director of Multilingual Education at Cambridge University ReachSci Society, UK. https://orcid.org/0009-0004-5188-2725
Dr. Ismail Benfilali is an Associate Professor of General English and Applied Linguistics at Sidi Ben Abdellah University, Fez, Morocco. He holds a Doctorate in Applied Linguistics (2015) and has taught at Quincy College, Massachusetts. He also teaches English at the American Language Centre in Fez and has published works in linguistics and literature.
https://orcid.org/0009-0000-0881-1359
Dr. Kebir Sandy is a Senior Professor of English at the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences – Dhar El Mahraz in Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University in Fez, Morocco. He serves as the Coordinator of the MA programme Translation and Cross-Cultural Communication and as the Director of the Laboratory for Sociological, Cultural and Philosophical Studies.
https://orcid.org/0009-0001-5321-1114