Integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Chatbots in Speaking Practice: Insights from Human-Chatbot Oral Interactions

The rise of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) brings new opportunities for second language learners to engage in speaking practice, an area that has traditionally offered limited opportunities (Ericsson, 2023). Previous research explores learner perspectives and benefits of artificial intelligence speaking tools, indicating that conversational agents and chatbots contribute to the development of speaking skills (Fathi et al., 2024) and foster learner autonomy (Sayed et al., 2024). However, most of this previous research pertains to English as a Foreign Language and was conducted with AI tools that lacked generative capabilities. Little is known about human spoken interactions with GenAI chatbots and how they can best be supported in the language-learning classroom. This manuscript-based thesis addresses these gaps. It consists of an introductory chapter, two articles, and a conclusion. The first article, a systematic literature review of empirical studies on the impact of AI tools on speaking, aimed to determine how to best support AI integration into oral activities. In the second article, stimulated recall and oral interviews were employed to investigate the language learning strategies reported by language learner participants during oral interactions with chatbots. The concluding chapter contains key findings, future research areas and implications for key stakeholders including language teachers, second language learners, and researchers. Results of both articles are synthesized.