Turkish University Study: GenAI as Pedagogical Scaffold for EFL Argumentative Writing and Critical Thinking

A study at a state university in Türkiye examined how generative AI (GenAI) combined with blended instruction affected the argumentative writing of first-year students in an English as a foreign language (EFL) teacher education program. The qualitative case study with quantitative data involved nine English language teaching students who first received traditional academic writing instruction and completed a pre-test, then took a 4-week online writing course integrating GenAI tools in a blended learning environment. Data came from pre- and post-tests and semi-structured interviews analyzed thematically; findings show GenAI supported idea generation, text organization, argument development and critical thinking, while participants reported greater confidence and engagement alongside concerns about reliability and overdependence.

The study offers verifiable instructional evidence for AI education products and teacher training: GenAI's value concentrates in key stages of the writing process rather than replacing writing itself, and teacher guidance is identified as a precondition for the scaffold role. For product practitioners, immediate personalized feedback and flexible learning are the features students valued; for teachers and schools, reliability and overdependence are constraints that course design must address. The sample is only nine first-year students in Türkiye over 4 weeks, so the findings cannot be directly generalized to other levels, subjects or regions. Provides a verifiable course design reference for EFL writing instruction: GenAI embedded in a 4-week blended course for idea generation, organization, argument development and critical thinking support. Signals that products and teaching must address both the benefits of immediate personalized feedback and the risks of reliability and overdependence.