Using ChatPDF to interrogate academic readings: A qualitative study of international students' seminar preparation

Abstract

International postgraduate students frequently encounter difficulties interpreting conceptually and linguistically dense academic texts when preparing for English-medium seminars in a Master of Education program at a large university in Australia. This case study explored how ChatPDF, an AI-powered text analysis tool, supported international students’ comprehension, confidence, and participation in postgraduate seminars. It offers a qualitative account of how postgraduate international students use ChatPDF as a mediating resource to support academic reading and active participation in seminar discussions. Eighteen students across two TESOL courses in the Master of Education program employed ChatPDF over an eight-week period and responded to an open-ended survey regarding its perceived benefits and limitations. Thematic analysis of survey responses, supplemented by lecturer observations, identified key areas of ChatPDF impact: simplification of complex content, efficient summarisation, increased seminar confidence, and enhanced comprehension of culturally informed theoretical concepts. However, students also acknowledged potential limitations, including overreliance and diminished critical reading effort when the tool was used passively. Findings are interpreted through Cognitive Load Theory (Sweller, 1988), Sociocultural Theory (Vygotsky, 1978), and the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework (Mishra & Koehler, 2006), illustrating ChatPDF’s role as a mediational scaffold that can enhance comprehension and participation when used reflectively.