Exploring English as a Foreign Language Learners’ Adoption and Utilisation of ChatGPT for Speaking Practice Through an Extended Technology Acceptance Model

ABSTRACT ChatGPT has garnered significant interest for its potential educational benefits, particularly in aiding English as a foreign language (EFL) learners to develop language skills. This study aims to explore how various internal and external factors, as outlined in the proposed extended technology acceptance model (TAM), influence EFL learners’ acceptance and use of ChatGPT to enhance their oral English. Drawing on the extended TAM questionnaires from 212 Chinese EFL learners and semi‐structured interviews with 12 participants, the research underscores that a positive attitude toward ChatGPT significantly influences learners’ intention to adopt ChatGPT for English‐speaking practice. Moreover, facilitating conditions significantly predict the perceived ease of use. The qualitative results shed light on ChatGPT's effectiveness and convenience in developing English‐speaking skills, its potential to simulate IELTS exams and situational dialogues, and identifying certain scenario‐specific limitations.