Determinants of Postgraduate Students′ Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Academic Writing in Ghana: A Structural Equation Modelling Analysis

Abstract

Academic writing has always been an arduous task, especially for postgraduate students at most African universities. Nonetheless, the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) tools appears to have relieved postgraduate students of such supposed academic stress. Despite the concerns about the potential threat of AI to academic integrity, reports have indicated that postgraduate students are developing an increasing appreciation for the use of AI‐powered tools in writing. This study, therefore, sought to uncover the potential determinants of postgraduate students′ use of AI tools in academic writing. A total of 339 postgraduate students from a Ghanaian higher educational institution participated in the study. Ajzen′s theory of planned behaviour was employed as a framework to investigate the determinants of AI use. The proposed hypotheses were all confirmed—that is, behavioural beliefs, control beliefs and normative beliefs were significant predictors of postgraduate students′ behavioural intention to use AI in academic writing. It was also revealed that postgraduate students′ behavioural intentions and their control beliefs had a significant direct effect on their actual use of AI in academic writing. The study contributes to global debates on AI in higher education by highlighting that postgraduate students′ readiness to adopt AI tools is shaped not only by individual attitudes but also by perceived academic norms and contextual constraints. These insights emphasise the need for policies and pedagogical frameworks that promote responsible, equitable and context‐sensitive AI integration in postgraduate education.

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