Exploring ChatGPT usage purposes and profiles among Korean high school EFL learners

This study seeks to examine the main purposes of Korean high school EFL learners in using ChatGPTfor learning English and identify distinct learner profiles based on their usage patterns. A mixedmethod approach was employed to gather data. First, to develop scale items assessing students'ChatGPT usage purposes, the experiences of Korean high school students using ChatGPT for Englishlearning were collected through simulations, reflection logs, and open-ended surveys. Second, a surveywas conducted with 171 participants using a newly developed instrument to measure their purposesfor using ChatGPT. Various statistical techniques, including exploratory factor analysis (EFA), latentprofile analysis (LPA), repeated measures ANOVA, and multivariate ANOVA, were used to analyzethe data. The key findings of the study are as follows: EFA identified four main purposes for usingChatGPT: reading comprehension, linguistic analysis and correction, writing support, and reading testpractice, with reading comprehension being the most favored. Moreover, LPA identified four learnerprofiles: Active User, Comprehension Seeker, Writing and Metaknowledge Seeker, and Passive User,which demonstrated notable differences across the identified purposes. The findings highlightsignificant variations in ChatGPT usage patterns among EFL learners, suggesting the need forpersonalized teaching strategies to enhance learner-AI interaction.