AI Chatbots Learning Model in English Speaking Skill: Alleviating Speaking Anxiety, Boosting Enjoyment, and Fostering Critical Thinking

One of the most significant barriers to English learning for EFL (English as a Foreign Language) students is a lack of practice environments. Additionally, in the (EFL) classroom, emotions such as speaking anxiety and language enjoyment may influence students’ performance. It is well established that students’ achievement is harmed by foreign language anxiety. Artificial Intelligence (AI) advancements present an opportunity to solve this issue. AI chatbots are capable of deciphering the meanings of users’ comments and responding appropriately and have been built to engage with users using natural language. Language teachers and researchers have recommended the use of chatbots as tools of learning that would help to facilitate the implementation of language learning by acting as a speaking partner or tutor. In this research design, AI chatbot is employed in Casual Conversation Course as self-regulated learning for facilitating students’ speaking performance and interactions during the learning process in a university speaking classroom. By a preceding conversation with AI chatbot, it will alleviate speaking anxiety, boost learning enjoyment, and foster students’ critical thinking. In-depth interviews were delivered to four interviewees to ascertain the designed learning model from the teachers’ viewpoint. The result indicates that the proposed model is expected to be able to aid the learning process and so achieve the course’s objectives more effectively than conventional models.