Effectiveness Of Generative Ai-Supported Digital Rhetoric Instruction On Students’ Persuasive Writing Performancein Higher Education
Abstract
The main problem in learning persuasive writing in higher education is students' low ability to build logical arguments, maintain coherence, and combine digital rhetorical strategies effectively. This research aims at the effectiveness of generative AI-based digital rhetoric learning in improving the quality of students' persuasive writing. The method used was a quasi-experiment with two classes (N=60): an experimental class that utilized AI and a control class that studied conventionally. The results showed a significant improvement in the experimental group, from a total score of 2.68 to 3.86, while the control group increased from 2.68 to 3.02. Paired T-test produces t(29)=11.42; p<.001 with an effect size of d=2.08, much larger than the control group (t(29)=3.21; p=.003; d=0.58). ANCOVA analysis also showed significant differences, F(1,57)=28.74; p<.001, with η²=.34. These findings imply that AI functions as a cognitive scaffold that strengthens strategic argumentation, organizational coherence, and the rhetoric of awareness in digital writing learning.
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