AI Literacy and English Writing Anxiety in an ESP Context: A Mixed-Methods Study from Vietnam

This study explores how artificial intelligence (AI) literacy relates to English writing anxiety among university students in an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) setting in Vietnam. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, the study integrates survey data from 441 ESP students with semi-structured interviews to examine both the quantitative association and students’ situated accounts of AI supported writing. The quantitative results indicated a weak, statistically non-significant association between AI literacy and writing anxiety (r = −.062, p = .195). This result provides no evidence of a statistically significant linear association in this sample. Interview accounts suggested context-dependent differences in how students used AI and managed writing-related stress; these possible processes were not tested as mediators. Students described benefits (e.g., efficiency and linguistic support) alongside concerns (e.g., over-reliance and ethical issues). Building on these accounts, the study proposes a preliminary five-stage “Clarify-Draft-Refine-Verify-Reflect” conceptual framework for AI-supported writing. The framework is offered as a proposition for future instructional research and warrants further empirical validation. The study provides context-specific insights into AI-supported ESP writing while distinguishing bivariate association from participants’ contextual accounts.