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Education·G Space·Evidence-backed gain·Published 2026-07-20

Understanding AI in higher education: Gendered and intersectional students’ experience with ChatGPT use

The integration of ChatGPT into higher education is expanding rapidly, particularly within. These applications are increasingly associated with perceived improvements in student performance. This study examines how university students across the United Arab Emirates engage with ChatGPT and explores how demographic factors influence adoption patterns. A quantitative design was employed using a structured questionnaire completed by 506 students from several higher education institutions in the UAE. The results sho…

TRV-2026-0425Peer-reviewedPermanent record — cite & verify
Understanding AI in higher education: Gendered and intersectional students’ experience with ChatGPT use

Students at a classroom at the CU by Billjones94. CC BY-SA 4.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

The quick read

A peer-reviewed study published December 26, 2025 surveyed 506 students from several higher education institutions in the United Arab Emirates about ChatGPT use. It found usage varied by gender, academic level, and field of study, with female students, senior students, and non-technical program students reporting higher or more writing-focused use, and concluded the tool improves academic writing for ESL students.

The pattern matters because differential adoption by gender and field raises equity questions for universities integrating generative AI, while writing gains for second-language English users point to a specific learning benefit. What remains uncertain is whether self-reported improvements translate to measured performance and whether findings from this UAE sample apply to other higher education systems.

Main points
  • Quantitative questionnaire of 506 students from several higher education institutions in the UAE examined ChatGPT engagement patterns.
  • Female students reported higher usage than male students and senior students used ChatGPT more often than juniors.
  • Students in non-technical programs rely more heavily on ChatGPT for writing and language support.
Gain

ChatGPT use was associated with meaningful improvement in academic writing for university students in the UAE, especially for those using English as a second language.

The rundown

The study employed a structured questionnaire completed by 506 students across several UAE higher education institutions to measure engagement with ChatGPT. Results indicated senior students used the tool more often than juniors and that non-technical majors leaned on it for writing and language support.

Authors framed the results as contributing to research on AI adoption in Gulf Region higher education and concluded that targeted training is needed to ensure equitable and effective integration of generative AI tools.

Sources

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