A Quasi-Experimental Study on the Effect of ChatGPT in ESL Grammar Instruction

Abstract

The study investigates the influence of ChatGPT on the English grammar proficiency of students from the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE) in Pakistan. A quasi-experimental research design consisting of two intact groups, a control group and an experimental group, each with 30 students, was employed. The experimental group was taught with the help of ChatGPT and the control group was taught with conventional methods. Over the ten-week intervention, the focus was on three main aspects of grammar: the types of sentences, phrases and clauses, and narrations. A pre-test, post-test and was given to the students. The results of the study were analysed using parametric tests with the independent and paired samples. Results of the study indicated that while both groups showed considerable improvement, the experimental group showed even greater improvement as compare to the control group. The study contends that the use of ChatGPT in teaching grammar results in enhanced grammar proficiency of the students. Results of the study showed that there is an existing and potential impact of using AI as a teaching tool in Pakistani classrooms and that study results can be used as a guide by language teachers, curriculum designers, and policymakers to meet the emerging and existing requirements of teaching and learning in Pakistan.