ArticleFrontiers in psychology2026
ChatGPT as a self-regulated learning support tool in thesis writing: a mixed-methods study.
Article in Frontiers in psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This study examines the potential of ChatGPT as a writing tool for postgraduate students, emphasizing its role in planning, monitoring, and evaluation. Guided by Zimmerman's Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) framework, this study investigates how ChatGPT supports postgraduate students during the forethought, performance, and self-reflection phases of thesis writing. Using a mixed-method research design, data from 303 postgraduate students through a survey and 20 interviews highlight various positive practices and concerns among postgraduates. The quantitative findings revealed that students reported positive experiences using ChatGPT to support planning, monitoring, and evaluation during thesis writing. The qualitative findings further demonstrated that ChatGPT assisted students in outlining chapters, brainstorming ideas, clarifying research objectives, verifying information, refining prompts, and critically evaluating AI-generated content. The sub-themes indicate that evaluation within the SRL cycle was characterized by strong metacognitive control, critical judgment, and authorial agency. Participants consistently positioned themselves as primary authors, using AI as a reflective and supplementary tool rather than a replacement, thereby safeguarding academic identity and scholarly contribution. Overall, the findings suggest that ChatGPT can function as a cognitive and metacognitive scaffold that supports self-regulated thesis writing when used critically and strategically. The study provides critical implications for leveraging ChatGPT among postgraduates to enhance their writing skills while maintaining academic integrity and authorial ownership.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.