Dr. Nick Wong

Expanding Students’ Translanguaging Spaces: Enhancing Students' Criticality through Generative AI Tools in Academic Communication 

Academic reading poses a significant challenge for many undergraduate students. The technical and theoretical nature of the content often makes it difficult for students to comprehend and critically evaluate the issues presented. One of the reasons for this lack of meaning-making and sense-making is the restricted translanguaging spaces of students. To address this issue, I developed and assessed an advanced research training module aimed at teaching final-year undergraduates how to effectively use Generative AI (GenAI) tools for effective academic communication. 

This study utilized an ethnographic case study approach, employing systematic observations to document the experiences and issues of students in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) class. Pre- and post-module questionnaires (n=20) were administered to evaluate the effectiveness of the implementation. The questionnaires assessed students' knowledge, skills, and confidence in using GenAI tools for critical thinking. The open-ended responses were qualitatively analyzed to identify common themes. 

The quantitative findings demonstrated a significant improvement in students' knowledge, competence, and confidence after completing the module, while the qualitative analysis revealed that students developed enhanced abilities to strategically utilize GenAI tools and critically evaluate their outputs. Key themes that emerged from the analysis highlighted the value of GenAI in providing alternative perspectives to enhance critical analysis skills. These results indicate that GenAI tools can serve as positive technological affordance in supporting students' critical thinking by expanding their translanguaging spaces for effective academic reading and writing.