Tracing AI-Mediated Writing Tool Use Among Korean University Students: An Exploratory Screen-Recording Case Study

Kim, Janet Jaymin

doi:10.30961/lr.2026.62.1.109

Lang. Res. 62(1):109-132

pISSN: 0254-4474, eISSN: 2586-7113

DOI: https://doi.org/10.30961/lr.2026.62.1.109

Article

Tracing AI-Mediated Writing Tool Use Among Korean University Students: An Exploratory Screen-Recording Case Study

Janet Jaymin Kim ¹ ^, ^†

Author Information & Copyright ▼

¹Seoul National University

^†Corresponding author: Visiting Professor Department of English Language Education Seoul National University 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, Korea E-mail: janetkimatsnu@gmail.com

ⓒ Copyright 2026 Language Education Institute, Seoul National University. This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Received: Nov 14, 2025 ; Revised: Jan 31, 2026 ; Accepted: Mar 24, 2026

Published Online: Apr 30, 2026

ABSTRACT

This exploratory case study uses process-tracing to examine how four Korean EFL university students utilize online dictionaries, machine translation, and ChatGPT during English argumentative writing. Analyzing screen recordings across three drafts, the study identifies specific tool-use purposes, sequences, and frequencies. Results reveal that tool-use trajectories are independent of English writing proficiency, reflecting idiosyncratic strategic choices and personal styles. Despite its potential, ChatGPT use remained minimal and surface-level due to study constraints, exposing a gap between AI’s potential and actual application. As the instructional design prioritized restricting AI, participants’ usage patterns demonstrated a tendency toward safe and basic routines, hindering the development of strategic digital writing skills. The study advocates for guided support to foster student agency and reflective practice. Ultimately, this process-oriented analysis provides a framework for curriculum designers seeking to integrate generative AI in ways that are both academically responsible and cognitively expansive.

Keywords: AI-mediated writing; process-tracing; Korean EFL university students; English argumentative writing; critical AI literacy

References

Alzahrani, M. (2025). The impacts of mobile apps on English vocabulary development of Afghan EFL students. Pamir International Journal of Social Science, 1(1), 1-13 .

Baek, J. Y., & Rha, K. H. (2023). Investigating EFL college students' English writings produced by AI-based machine translation. Foreign Languages Education, 30(2), 1-24 .

Barrot, J. S. (2023). Using ChatGPT for second language writing: Pitfalls and potentials. Assessing Writing, 57, Article 100745 .

Chan, A. Y. W. (2012). Cantonese ESL learners' use of grammatical information in a monolingual dictionary for determining the correct use of a target word. International Journal of Lexicography, 25(1), 68-94 .

Chen, Y. (2022). The effect of learning conditions on collocation gains: A case study of task-based dictionary use instruction. Lexikos, 32, 1-31 .

Chung, E. S., & Ahn, S. (2022). The effect of using machine translation on linguistic features in L2 writing across proficiency levels and text genres. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 35(9), 2239-2264 .

Cohen, J. (1960). A coefficient of agreement for nominal scales. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 20(1), 37-46 .

Comelles, E., & Laso, N. J. (2025). The impact of MT as a writing tool on EFL academic writing: A qualitative linguistic analysis. Journal of Second Language Writing, 69, 101231 .

Dziemianko, A. (2010). Paper or electronic? The role of dictionary form in language reception, production and retention of meaning and collocations. International Journal of Lexicography, 23(3), 257-273 .

10.

Frankenberg-Garcia, A. (2020). Combining user needs, lexicographic data and digital writing environments. Language Teaching, 53(1), 29-43 .

11.

Gao, C. A., Howard, F. M., Markov, N. S., Dyer, E. C., Ramesh, S., Luo, Y., & Pearson, A. T. (2023). Comparing scientific abstracts generated by ChatGPT to real abstracts with detectors and blinded human reviewers. NPJ Digital Medicine, 6(1), 75 .

12.

Gilquin, G., & Laporte, S. (2021). The use of online writing tools by learners of English: Evience from a process corpus. International Journal of Lexicography, 34(4), 472-492 .

13.

Hamel, M. J., Séror, J., & Dion, C. (2015). Writers in action: Modelling and scaffolding second language learners' writing process. Toronto, Canada: Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario .

14.

Hwang, H., Chang, X., & Sun, J. (2025). Generative AI is useful for second language writing, but when, why, and for how long do learners use it? Journal of Second Language Writing, 69, 101230 .

15.

Hyland, K. (2025). Tomorrowland? Technical innovation and feedback on writing. RELC Journal. Advance online publication .

16.

Jacobs, H. L., Zinkgraf, S. A., Wormuth, D. R., Hartfiel, V. F., & Hughey, J. B. (1981). Testing ESL composition: A practical approach. Newbury House Publishers .

17.

Jarrah, A. M., Wardat, Y., & Fidalgo, P. (2023). Using ChatGPT in academic writing is (not) a form of plagiarism: What does the literature say? Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 13(4), e202346 .

18.

Kohnke, L. (2024). Exploring EAP students' perceptions of GenAI and traditional grammar-checking tools for language learning. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 7, 100279 .

19.

Kohnke, L., Moorhouse, B. L., & Zou, D. (2023). ChatGPT for language teaching and learning. RELC Journal, 54(2), 537-550 .

20.

Koltovskaia, S., Rahmati, P., & Saeli, H. (2024). Graduate students' use of ChatGPT for academic text revision: Behavioral, cognitive, and affective engagement. Journal of Second Language Writing, 65, 101130 .

21.

Lee, H., & Oh, S.-Y. (2025). Effects of Google Translate instruction on young learners' L2 writing revisions. The Journal of Asia TEFL, 22(1), 41-64 .

22.

Lee, Y.-J., Davis, R. O., & Choi, J.-I. (2025). Integrating generative AI into EFL writing: University students' strategies and perceptions. Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 15(4), Article e202541 .

23.

Lew, R. (2010). Multimodal lexicography: The representation of meaning in electronic dictionaries. Lexikos, 20(1), 23-45 .

24.

Lew, R., & de Schryver, G.-M. (2014). Dictionary users in the digital revolution. International Journal of Lexicography, 27(4), 341-359 .

25.

Liu, Q., & Chao, C. C. (2018). CALL from an ecological perspective: How a teacher perceives affordance and fosters learner agency in a technology-mediated language classroom. ReCALL, 30(1), 68-87 .

26.

Mroz, A. P. (2025). Process research screen capture. In C. A. Chapelle (Ed.), The encyclopedia of applied linguistics. Wiley-Blackwell .

27.

Musk, N. (2022). Using online translation tools in computer-assisted collaborative EFL writing. Classroom Discourse, 13(2), 119-144 .

28.

Nguyen, L. Q., Le, H. V., & Nguyen, P. T. (2025). A mixed-methods study on the use of ChatGPT in the pre-writing stage: EFL learners' utilization patterns, affective engagement, and writing performance. Education and Information Technologies, 30, 10511-10534 .

29.

Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods: Integrating theory and practice (4th ed.). Sage .

30.

Shin, D., Kwon, S. K., & Lee, Y. (2021). The effect of using online language-support resources on L2 writing performance. Language Testing in Asia, 11(4), 1-23 .

31.

Song, C., & Song, Y. (2023). Enhancing academic writing skills and motivation: Assessing the efficacy of ChatGPT in AI-assisted language learning for EFL students. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1260843 .

32.

Su, Y., Lin, Y., & Lai, C. (2023). Collaborating with ChatGPT in argumentative writing classrooms. Assessing Writing, 57, 100752 .

33.

Sun, Y. (2026). Resisting homogenization in EAL writing education: Translingual practices in the rise of generative AI. TESOL Quarterly .

34.

Sung, S., & Jang, I. C. (2024). South Korean STEM graduate students' use of ChatGPT in self-initiated L2 writing: A process-tracing study. Korean Journal of English Language and Linguistics, 24, 1415-1435 .

35.

Wang, C., & Wang, Z. (2025). Investigating L2 writers' critical AI literacy in AI-assisted writing: An APSE model. Journal of Second Language Writing, 67, 101187 .

36.

Warschauer, M., Tseng, W., Yim, S., Webster, T., Jacob, S., Du, Q., & Tate, T. (2023). The affordances and contradictions of AI-generated text for writers of English as a second or foreign language. Journal of Second Language Writing, 62, 101071 .

37.

Yan, D. (2023). Impact of ChatGPT on learners in a L2 writing practicum: An exploratory investigation. Education and Information Technologies, 28(11), 13943-13967 .

38.

Yoon, C. (2016). Individual differences in online reference resource consultation: Case studies of Korean ESL graduate writers. Journal of Second Language Writing, 32, 67-80 .