RETRACTED: Tracing interpersonal emotion regulation, behavioural emotion regulation strategies, hopelessness and vocabulary retention within Bing vs. ChatGPT environments

Abstract Despite the growing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in language education, limited research has explored its impact on emotional regulation and vocabulary retention, particularly in English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts. This study addressed this gap by comparing the effects of Bing and ChatGPT environments on interpersonal emotion regulation (IER), behavioural emotion regulation strategies (BERS), hopelessness and vocabulary retention among 458 upper‐intermediate Chinese EFL learners. Participants were divided into three groups: Bing, ChatGPT and a control group (CG) receiving traditional instruction. Both AI‐supported groups engaged with identical content and tasks on their respective platforms, while the CG followed a conventional curriculum. A mixed‐methods design was employed, incorporating quantitative pre‐ and post‐tests and qualitative semi‐structured interviews. The one‐way ANOVA results revealed that both AI groups significantly outperformed the CG across all measures, with no statistical difference between Bing and ChatGPT groups. The learners in AI‐supported conditions reported reduced hopelessness and improved IER and BERS, alongside notable vocabulary retention. In agreement with the quantitative results, the qualitative findings highlighted the engaging and supportive nature of AI environments, which led to improved IER, BERS and vocabulary retention and reduced hopelessness in the EFL learners. These results suggest that integrating AI tools like Bing and ChatGPT in EFL classrooms can enhance emotional well‐being and language acquisition, offering valuable pedagogical insights for educators seeking to leverage technology in language instruction.