A TAM-Informed Exploratory Study of Vietnamese Secondary Students’ Attitudes Toward ChatGPT in IELTS Reading Pre-Class Preparation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60087/ijls.v3.n2.003Keywords:
ChatGPT, technology acceptance model, IELTS Reading, pre-class preparation, Vietnamese EFL learnersAbstract
Generative artificial intelligence has entered high-stakes test preparation faster than the evidence base that should guide it, and secondary-level learners remain under-represented in that evidence. This exploratory pilot study examined how 25 Vietnamese lower secondary IELTS learners (Grades 7–9) at a private language centre in Ho Chi Minh City perceived ChatGPT as a tool for IELTS Reading pre-class preparation, using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as an interpretive lens. Following a four-week exposure phase built around structured, bilingual preparation worksheets, students completed a 38-item Likert questionnaire, and two IELTS teachers took part in semi-structured interviews. Internal consistency was good to excellent across the four constructs (α = .818–.902). Students reported high perceived usefulness (M = 3.78, SD = 0.59) and high perceived ease of use (M = 3.75, SD = 0.76), but only moderate attitude toward using (M = 3.13, SD = 0.95) and moderate behavioural intention (M = 3.63, SD = 0.86). Pearson correlations were consistent with the TAM structure, with perceived usefulness most strongly associated with attitude (r = .841, p < .01). Qualitative data explained the gap: usefulness was concentrated in vocabulary look-up and background-knowledge activation, while trust and habit-fit remained unsettled, and both teachers described an “answer-first” misuse pattern among less motivated learners. The study argues that acceptance and productive use are distinct outcomes, and that task design, not learner enthusiasm, is what separates them.
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