Abstract
As students increasingly integrate artificial intelligence, understanding its impact on the potential moderating effect of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) utilization on the relationship between writing motivation and their essay writing skills becomes essential. A total of 116 senior high school students were selected through purposive sampling. Furthermore, a quantitative regression design with moderation analysis was employed, utilizing a validated and pilot-tested researcher-made questionnaire and essay assessments. Findings revealed that students demonstrated a high level of writing motivation (x =3.48), an excellent level of essay writing skills ( x=2.54), and a low level of GAI utilization ( x̄ =2.27). However, regression analysis showed that writing motivation had no significant influence on essay writing skills (p=0.488), explaining only 0.4% of the variance. In addition, moderation analysis using the PROCESS macro indicated that GAI utilization did not significantly moderate the relationship between motivation and skills (p=0.7438). On the other hand, GAI utilization was identified as a significant independent predictor (p<0.001), demonstrating that it directly enhances writing performance regardless of a student's motivational level. Consequently, the study recommends that education policymakers and administrators establish national ethical frameworks and implement AI-enhanced writing programs. By doing so, they can provide the necessary training and clear institutional policies needed to bridge the gap between learner motivation and technical writing proficiency.
Keywords: Education, Generative AI, Writing motivation, Essay writing skills, Quantitative
