Title:
STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS TOWARDS THE USE OF CHATGPT IN ENGLISH READING COMPREHENSION

Authors:
Nguyen Thi Xuan Chi

Abstract:
ChatGPT has been widely employed to support reading comprehension but concerns regarding its use have also been raised. This study aimed to investigate students’ perceived benefits and concerns about the use of ChatGPT in reading comprehension. The study employed quantitative research methods with 89 students at University of Finance and Marketing. The findings revealed ChatGPT was perceived useful for providing linguistic support and metacognitive assistance with the strongest perceptions for explaining unfamiliar vocabulary, clarifying difficult structures, offering instant feedback and verifying the comprehension of reading texts. Students also reported cognitive and affective benefits including identifying specific ideas and main ideas, reducing reading anxiety, increasing reading motivation and confidence. However, ChatGPT was believed to be less useful in making inferences and making reading activities more engaging. However, students expressed concerns about overreliance, declined independent and critical reading, and inaccurate and unreliable ChatGPT-provided responses. The findings suggest ChatGPT should be used as a supportive learning tool rather than as a replacement for independent and critical reading. Thus, students also need to verify and critically evaluate AI-provided information. The study highlights the necessity of appropriate guidance from teachers and school administrators to promote responsible and strategic use of ChatGPT in language learning.

Keywords:
ChatGPT, English reading comprehension, perceived benefits, concerns

DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37500/IJESSR.2026.9522

Date of Publication: 24-10-2026