Investigating EFL teachers’ lesson planning for chatbot-assisted learning of argumentative writing: a TPACK perspective

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study examined how teachers integrate chatbots into English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching and learning, drawing upon the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework. Ten teachers were invited to design lesson plans for teaching argumentative writing using a chatbot named Argumate. We analyzed the teachers’ professional knowledge, as demonstrated in their lesson plans. Additionally, interviews were conducted to understand the teachers’ reasoning behind their instructional planning. The results revealed that the teachers adopted three approaches to chatbot integration, including teacher instruction followed by chatbot use, chatbot use followed by teacher instruction, and chatbot use supplemented with teacher instruction. Moreover, the teachers demonstrated their professional knowledge by combining the chatbot with different teaching strategies (e.g. collaborative learning and experiential learning) and using the chatbot to design learning activities (e.g. chatbot-assisted writing practice and chatbot-supported debate activities) that leveraged the chatbot’s strengths. The teachers’ professional knowledge was also evident in their ability to identify the chatbot’s limitations and supplement chatbot-related activities with additional activities to provide comprehensive support for students’ writing development. The findings shed light on the potential of chatbots as a language learning tool and the importance of teachers’ professional knowledge in integrating chatbots in the language classroom.