USE OF CHATGPT IN RESEARCH ACROSS ACADEMIC LEVELS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Abstract

This study investigates the use of ChatGPT in research writing across academic levels in the Philippines, from Senior High School to doctoral programs. Despite research being a curricular staple, students frequently face cognitive and emotional hurdles during the process. Grounded in the UTAUT, this research employs a mixed-methods approach to examine how Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Social Influence, and Facilitating Conditions predict the intention to use generative artificial intelligence. By triangulating quantitative data with qualitative lived experiences, the study explores how ChatGPT scaffolds tasks from conceptualization to manuscript preparation. Unlike existing literature focused on general academic tasks, this inquiry highlights the unique challenges and trajectories of a vertically integrated learner population. The findings offer critical insights for educators and policymakers to develop guidelines that harness gen AI as tool to enhance, rather than replace, human scholarly competence.