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Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Special Issue on Artificial Intelligence, No. 3. 2026. Pp.41-54
Department of English Philology, Faculty of Foreign Philology,
Uzhhorod National University, Uzhhorod, Ukraine
Department of English Lexicology and Stylistics, Faculty of Romance and Germanic Philology, Odesa I.I. Mechnikov National University, Odesa, Ukraine
Department of English Philology, Faculty of Foreign Philology,
Uzhhorod National University, Uzhhorod, Ukraine
The growth of generative artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the dynamics of academic writing, providing students with new linguistic resources but also posing serious questions about the validity, authorship, and credibility of academic writing. In this study, we explore how critical AI literacy can be meaningfully incorporated within academic writing classes and explore the linguistic, cognitive, and ethical aspects of students’ engagement with AI technology. Employing a mixed-method study that included 50 undergraduates from the Uzhhorod national university, we explore the participants’ initial attitudes and practices, explore key challenges faced in their engagement with AI-produced texts, and examine their abilities to interpret and verify the validity of AI-produced texts. A set of educational interventions, such as text comparison, bias detection, genre-specific validation, and reflective writing exercises, were conducted to enable students to develop critical AI literacy. Results show that students seriously lacked discernment in verifying the authenticity of AI-produced content but immensely improved their abilities after engaging in the educational interventions. The study concludes that critical AI literacy can be effectively included within academic writing classes, teaching students to use AI tools appropriately without undermining the credibility and authenticity of academic writing. Findings also indicate that serious consideration is needed for universities to address the opportunities and challenges posed by AI tools in higher educational contexts.
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Daryna Stanko, doctor of philological sciences, professor of the Department of English Philology, Faculty of Foreign Philology, Uzhhorod National University in Ukraine. Her research interests include language teaching and learning, text linguistics, fan fiction as a cultural phenomenon. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7858-8663
Iryna Kolegaeva, doctor of philological sciences, professor at the Department of English Lexicology and Stylistics, Faculty of Romance and Germanic Philology, Odesa I.I. Mechnikov National University, Odesa, Ukraine. Her research interests are Language Teaching and Learning, Stylistics of the English Language, Theory of Communication.
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5073-2184
Lesya Rohach, candidate of philological sciences, associate professor of the Department of English Philology, Faculty of Foreign Philology, Uzhhorod National University in Ukraine. Her research interests include language teaching and learning, terminology, translation. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7709-017X