ChatGPT: An Enabling Model for English Creative Writing in the Eleventh Grade of Phuentsholing Rigsar Higher Secondary School

Abstract

In today’s digital era, education has undergone a significant transformation, particularly in English
learning, where creativity plays a crucial role. However, Bhutan’s eleventh-grade curriculum
primarily emphasizes grammar, comprehension, and writing skills, with minimal focus on creative
expression. Similarly, at Phuentsholing Rigsar Higher Secondary School (PRHSS), creative writing
is primarily confined to classroom assessments, which may inadvertently prioritise performance
over student wellbeing by fostering stress and limiting intrinsic motivation. Moreover, while the
school is equipped with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) facilities, it has yet to
explore the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to enhance creative writing. Thus, this
action research explores the integration of ChatGPT, a generative AI tool, as a model to guide
creative writing among 37 eleventh-grade students (18 females and 19 males) of varying English
proficiency, selected through convenience sampling. A quantitative approach was employed, using
pre- and post-intervention creative writing assessments. The intervention was grounded in Albert
Bandura’s Observational Learning and the Modeling Process of attention, Retention, Reproduction,
and Motivation (ARRM). Students were engaged in AI-assisted feedback, prompt-based writing,
and collaborative poetry exercises over the study period, and the findings revealed a statistically
significant improvement in writing proficiency, with mean scores increasing from 4.29 to 8.81 (p
< .001). This suggests that ChatGPT can effectively enhance creative expression in writing.
However, progress varied among individuals, indicating the need for differentiated support.
Moreover, concerns regarding overreliance on AI and ethical use remained. Therefore, teacher
intervention for balanced AI integration and