Abstract

This study investigates MA TESOL female students’ perceptions of QuillBot, an AI-powered paraphrasing tool, in enhancing grammatical accuracy and syntactic complexity in EFL research writing. A cross-sectional survey is conducted with 62 female students from the English Language Institute at King Abdulaziz University, acknowledging limitations related to gender, location, and institutional scope. Data are collected using a 29-item validated Likert-scale questionnaire, which is reviewed by experts and pilot-tested, demonstrating strong reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.79). Ethical approval and informed consent are obtained from the institution prior to data collection. The analytic strategy includes descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analyses to examine associations between frequency of QuillBot use and perceived grammatical effectiveness. Results indicate high perceived usefulness in improving grammatical accuracy (M = 3.90, SD = 0.86) and reducing errors (M = 3.89, SD = 0.86), while behavioral intention to integrate QuillBot into teaching remains moderate (M = 3.47–3.55). Exploratory comparisons suggest slightly higher perceived usefulness among thesis-stage students, though differences are not statistically significant. Findings align with previous research on AI-supported writing and the Technology Acceptance Model, providing context-specific evidence from the Saudi TESOL setting. The study underscores implications for teacher education programs, highlighting the need for explicit AI literacy and ethical-use training. Future research should involve larger, more diverse samples and mixed methods designs to deepen understanding of AI adoption in EFL writing instruction.

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