Navigating Assistance and Dependency in Academic Writing: A Qualitative Study of Perplexity AI in Iranian Higher Education

This study investigates the perspectives of Iranian higher education students at the MA level majoring in English Translation Studies (ETSs) and Teaching English Language as a Foreign Language (TEFL) regarding the application of Perplexity as an AI-powered search and answer engine in their academic writing assignments. To this end, ۲۵ participants were selected through convenience sampling and semi-structured interviews were used to collect qualitative data. Based on thematic analysis, the study discovered that TEFL and ETSs students utilized Perplexity for its convenience and its ability to address their specific academic needs, such as research assistance, language refinement, and content organization. It also supported students by enhancing their writing fluency, facilitating content generation, and broadening their knowledge. The analysis of the interview data revealed several challenges, including an over-reliance on Perplexity that may lead to reduced originality in their work and hinder the development of independent critical thinking skills. Notably, translation students reported more concerns about the future of their career as a translator, emphasizing that Perplexity sometimes fails to capture language-specific idioms and stylistic elements crucial for accurate translation work. Despite its user-friendly interface and efficiency, our findings underscore that MA students need to critically engage with Perplexity AI, leveraging its benefits while actively considering academic integrity and improving independent critical reasoning. The study calls for policy interventions at the macro level of Iranian higher education to address implementation and access challenges.

کلیدواژه ها:

Academic integrity ، AI in education ، higher education ، Perplexity ، TEFL