The Effects of Voice-based AI Chatbots on Korean EFL Middle School Students’ Speaking Competence and Affective Domains

This study examines the effects of voice-based AI (Artificial Intelligence) chatbots on Korean EFL middle school students' speaking competence and their related affective domains: level of interest, belief, motivation, and perceived anxiety. Participants were 44 freshmen students from one Korean middle school who took part in this study. The students divided into one control group and one experimental group. During the ten-week experimental period, the students engaged in 10 chat sessions with the voice-based AI chatbot 'Echodot.' To take an examination of the effects on the students' speaking competence, they took the NEAT speaking test as pre-and post-tests. As for the affective factors, structured questionnaire surveys were conducted before and after the treatment to find out if there are any changes in their affective domains. Findings reveal that the AI chatbot effectively contributed to an improvement in speaking ability among EFL students. The survey results indicate that the students' affective aspects of AI chatbot-assisted English learning changed positively over time. Accordingly, this study provides valuable insight into the use of AI chatbots in English learning in EFL environments, suggesting that EFL teachers should try to integrate AI chatbots into their classrooms.