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From AI Literacy to Situated Academic Writing Self-Efficacy: The Mediating Role of GenAI Use

Author(s)

Wenjing Cui1, Qiaoyi Li2,*, Zhouxiang Ling1

Affiliation(s)

1School of Digital Intelligence Economy and Management, Guangdong University of Science and Technology, Dongguan, Guangdong, China 2Maoming No.5 Middle School, Maoming, Guangdong, China *Corresponding Author

Abstract

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is reshaping university students’ literature retrieval, information integration, and thesis writing processes. Taking university students with thesis writing experience as the research participants, this study constructs a mediation model linking AI Literacy, GenAI Use, and learning outcomes. In this model, learning outcomes are operationalized as Situated Academic Writing Self-Efficacy (SAWSES) in the context of thesis writing. Based on structural equation modeling and Bootstrap tests using 401 valid responses, the results show that AI Literacy has significant positive effects on both GenAI Use and learning outcomes. GenAI Use also has a significant positive effect on learning outcomes and plays a partial mediating role between AI Literacy and learning outcomes. The dimension-level analysis further shows that AI Technical Cognition has stronger independent explanatory power for learning outcomes. GenAI Use has positive effects on Writing Essentials, Relational-Reflective, and Creative Identity, with a relatively stronger effect on Relational-Reflective. The findings suggest that universities should integrate AI Literacy cultivation with thesis writing training, guide students to use GenAI for literature comprehension, idea organization, structural optimization, and feedback-based revision, and promote the transformation of AI tool use into academic writing competence.

Keywords

AI Literacy; GenAI Use; Situated Academic Writing Self-Efficacy; Thesis Writing; Mediation Effect

References

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