Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Huang, Weijiao
• Hew, Khe Foon
• Fryer, Luke K.

Titel

Chatbots for language learning—Are they really useful? A systematic review of chatbot‐supported language learning

Ist Teil von

• Journal of computer assisted learning, 2022-02, Vol.38 (1), p.237-257

Ort / Verlag

Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons, Inc

Erscheinungsjahr

2022

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

Alma/SFX Local Collection

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Background The use of chatbots as learning assistants is receiving increasing attention in language learning due to their ability to converse with students using natural language. Previous reviews mainly focused on only one or two narrow aspects of chatbot use in language learning. This review goes beyond merely reporting the specific types of chatbot employed in past empirical studies and examines the usefulness of chatbots in language learning, including first language learning, second language learning, and foreign language learning. Aims The primary purpose of this review is to discover the possible technological, pedagogical, and social affordances enabled by chatbots in language learning. Materials & Methods We conducted a systematic search and identifies 25 empirical studies that examined the use of chatbots in language learning. We used the inductive grounded approach to identify the technological and pedagogical affordances, and the challenges of using chatbots for students’ language learning. We used Garrison's social presence framework to analyze the social affordances of using chatbots in language learning Results Our findings revealed three technological affordances: timeliness, ease of use, and personalization; and five pedagogical uses: as interlocutors, as simulations, for transmission, as helplines, and for recommendations. Chatbots appeared to encourage students’ social presence by affective, open, and coherent communication. Several challenges in using chatbots were identified: technological limitations, the novelty effect, and cognitive load. Discussion and Conclusion A set of rudimentary design principles for chatbots are proposed for meaningfully implementing educational chatbots in language learning, and detailed suggestions for future research are presented. Lay Description What is already known about this topic Chatbots can communicate with users in the target languages. Chatbot‐supported activities enable an authentic language environment. The use of chatbots is limited by their capabilities. What this paper adds This review is the first to examine the usefulness of chatbot in language learning. Using chatbots had positive results on students' behavioural outcomes. Social presence can be established through the use of chatbots. Three main challenges of using chatbots are found. Implications for practice and/or policy Chatbots can perform the function of learning partners outside the classroom. Educators can use chatbots to personalize assessment and feedback practices. Researchers are advised to include objective measurements in future studies. Teachers' perceptions of using chatbots could be explored in the future.