EXPLORING STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION ON THE USE OF GRAMMAR FOCUSING ON DIGITAL TOOLS IN ENHANCING ACCURATE SENTENCE CONSTRUCTION OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS MAJORING ENGLISH AT TADULAKO UNIVERSITY

Abstract

This study investigated undergraduate students’ perceptions toward the use of grammar-focused digital tools, particularly ChatGPT and Grammarly, in enhancing accurate English sentence construction. The research employed a qualitative design and involved seventh-semester English major students at Tadulako University. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with participants who had experience using grammar-focused digital tools in academic learning. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis based on Braun and Clarke’s framework. The findings revealed that students generally had positive perceptions of digital grammar tools. The tools were considered useful in identifying grammatical errors, improving sentence quality, supporting academic writing, increasing confidence, and enhancing grammar understanding through explanations and feedback. Students also used mixed language prompts, combining English and Indonesian, to improve comprehension while interacting with AI-based tools. However, several challenges were identified, including unstable internet connection, slow system performance, and reliability issues where suggested corrections did not always match the intended meaning or sentence context. The study concludes that grammar-focused digital tools can effectively support English language learning, particularly sentence construction, but students still need grammatical knowledge and critical thinking skills to evaluate AI-generated feedback critically.