Plagiarism or Productivity? Students Moral Disengagement and Behavioral Intentions to Use ChatGPT in Academic Writing
Authors: John Paul P. Miranda, Rhiziel P. Manalese, Mark Anthony A. Castro, Renen Paul M. Viado, Vernon Grace M. Maniago, Rudante M. Galapon, Jovita G. Rivera, Amado B. Martinez
Organizations: Pampanga State University, Pampanga, Philippines · National University, Dasmariñas, Philippines
This study examined how moral disengagement influences Filipino college students' intention to use ChatGPT in academic writing. The model tested five mechanisms: moral justification, euphemistic labeling, displacement of responsibility, minimizing consequences, and attribution of blame. These mechanisms were analyzed as predictors of attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, which then predicted behavioral intention. A total of 418 students with ChatGPT experience participated. The results showed that several moral disengagement mechanisms influenced students' attitudes and sense of control. Among the predictors, attribution of blame had the strongest influence, while attitudes had the highest impact on behavioral intention. The model explained more than half of the variation in intention. These results suggest that students often rely on institutional gaps and peer behavior to justify AI use. Many believe it is acceptable to use ChatGPT for learning or when rules are unclear. This shows a need for clear academic integrity policies, ethical guidance, and classroom support. The study also recognizes that intention-based models may not fully explain student behavior. Emotional factors, peer influence, and convenience can also affect decisions. The results provide useful insights for schools that aim to support responsible and informed AI use in higher education.
The growing use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in academic writing has raised increasing concerns regarding transparency and academic integrity in higher education. This study examines the psychological factors influencing English for Academic Purposes (EAP) students' intention to disclose their use of AI tools. Drawing on the cognition-affect-conation framework, the study proposes a model integrating both enabling and inhibiting factors shaping disclosure intention. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was employed. Quantitative data from 324 EAP students at an English-medium instruction university in China were analysed using structural equation modelling, followed by semi-structured interviews with 15 students to further interpret the findings. The quantitative results indicate that psychological safety positively predicts AI disclosure intention, whereas fear of negative evaluation negatively predicts it. The qualitative findings further reveal that supportive teacher practices and clear guidance foster psychological safety, while policy ambiguity and reputational concerns intensify fear of negative evaluation and discourage disclosure. These findings highlight the importance of clear institutional policies and supportive pedagogical environments in promoting transparent AI use.
Yiran Du, Huimin He
University of Cambridge · Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China
This study examined how student interns in Philippine higher education use intelligent tools during their OJT. Data were collected from 384 respondents using a structured questionnaire that asked about AI tool usage, task-specific applications, and perceptions of confidence, ethics, and support. Analysis of task-based usage identified four main purposes: productivity and report writing, communication and content drafting, technical assistance and code support, and independent task completion. ChatGPT was the most commonly used AI tool, followed by Quillbot, Canva AI, and Grammarly. Students reported moderate confidence in using AI and applied these tools selectively and ethically during OJT tasks. This indicate that AI tools assist student interns in various OJT activities related to work-readiness. The study suggests that higher education programs include AI literacy and onboarding. Clear policies and fair access to AI tools are important to support responsible use and prepare students for future careers.
John Paul P. Miranda, Rhiziel P. Manalese, Sheila M. Geronimo +5
Pampanga State University, Pampanga, Philippines · University of the East, Manila, Philippines
Conversational AI tools have been rapidly adopted by students and are becoming part of their learning routines. This widespread use comes amid ongoing concerns about the reliability of AI-generated responses and the appropriate role of AI in education. Drawing on the Technology Acceptance Model, we examine how students' perceptions of conversational AI, including its usefulness, ease of use, trustworthiness, enjoyment, and social influence, relate to their intentions to use these tools for learning. We investigate both the direct and indirect relationships among these perceptions to understand how they are associated with students' behavioral intentions. Using survey data from 229 students and partial least squares structural equation modeling, we found that perceived usefulness was the strongest direct predictor of intention, followed by perceived enjoyment. Perceived ease of use, trust, and subjective norms did not have significant direct associations with intention. However, trust and subjective norms had significant total indirect associations, while perceived enjoyment had both significant direct and indirect associations. The model explained 70.2% of the variance in behavioral intention. These findings suggest that students' intentions to use conversational AI are associated less directly with effort-related considerations and more with perceived usefulness and affective experience. They also highlight the importance of understanding what students perceive as valuable in conversational AI interactions, particularly when designing tools intended to encourage engagement while supporting learning.
Griffin Pitts, Sanaz Motamedi
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA · Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA