Who Are the Biggest Early Beneficiaries of ChatGPT? International Students

Jill Barshay, The Hechinger Report

MindShift, KQED | April 14, 2025

Since its public release in November 2022, ChatGPT has transformed the landscape of student writing. A new study by educational data scientist Renzhe Yu and his colleagues explores how the AI tool is influencing student writing quality—especially among international and linguistically diverse students.

The researchers analyzed over one million online discussion board posts submitted by nearly 17,000 students at a large, unnamed public university between fall 2021 and winter 2024. These low-stakes assignments typically required short written responses to readings in general education courses and were often ungraded or minimally factored into class participation.

Using seven computer models to assess vocabulary, syntax, readability, and overall writing quality, the researchers created a single index to measure changes over time. They found that student writing improved significantly after the release of ChatGPT, particularly beginning in late 2023. While the team could not directly confirm student use of ChatGPT, the timing and magnitude of the improvement suggested a strong correlation.

The most striking findings came from students classified as “linguistically disadvantaged”—non-native English speakers and those who entered college with weak writing skills. These students experienced the most dramatic improvements in writing, so much so that the writing quality gap between them and their more proficient peers disappeared and, in some cases, reversed.

The study’s context is a minority-serving institution with many Hispanic and international students. While all students appeared to benefit from AI tools, the largest gains were observed among international students whose first language was not English.

However, a deeper look at socioeconomic status revealed a disparity in AI’s benefits. Higher-income international students with college-educated parents saw substantial improvements in writing. By contrast, lower-income students—many of whom were first-generation college attendees—did not benefit as much. This suggests that early adopters of AI tools tend to have better access, more digital literacy, or both.

Experts like Mark Warschauer from UC Irvine believe these disparities are common with new technology. He predicts that as familiarity grows, the gap may narrow, much like previous trends in cellphone and internet adoption. However, he also believes the gains for international students could be more enduring, given the transformative support AI provides in academic English writing.

Importantly, the study did not analyze whether improved writing equated to improved thinking or learning. It’s unclear whether students used ChatGPT simply to polish their own ideas or to generate entire responses. This raises concerns about the depth of learning and critical thinking in AI-assisted work.

Yu, who teaches at Teachers College, Columbia University, allows his students to use ChatGPT with transparency, requiring them to submit transcripts of their interactions. Ironically, he reports a recent drop in student writing quality, citing bland, AI-generated responses that lack depth. He warns that motivation remains key—even the best tools can produce mediocre results if students aren’t genuinely engaged in learning.

This study underscores both the promise and the pitfalls of AI in education: while it may democratize access to academic expression for some, it also risks widening gaps for others. Teachers must guide students in using AI ethically and effectively to support—not replace—real thinking.

Source: Sung, Ki. “Who Are the Biggest Early Beneficiaries of ChatGPT? International Students.” MindShift KQED, April 14, 2025.
https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/62351/who-are-the-biggest-early-bene...

Original Article-

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Prepared with the assistance of AI software

OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT (4) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com