Using chatbots for English language learning in higher education

Abstract

Despite the advancement of Chatbot technology, little is known about its affordances for language learning, especially in the context of Malaysian higher education institutions. Adapting the Push-Pull Mooring-Habit (PPMH) theoretical framework, this mixed-methods study examined Malaysian university students' experience in using Chatbots for English language learning, focusing on four main aspects; Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Social Isolation and Covid-19 Fear. A total of 360 undergraduate students from three public universities in Malaysia completed the questionnaire after being engaged with chatbots for three months. Twenty of them were also interviewed for an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon being investigated. The analysis reveals that Performance and Effort Expectancies contribute to the positive experience of using Chatbots for language learning hence serving as the Pull factors. Whereas Social Isolation contributed by the sense of robotic interaction, emotionlessness, and lack of flow in conversation serves as the Push Factor in using Chatbots for language learning. Despite the students’ disagreements with the social influence of Chatbots on their behavioural intentions, Chatbots are still considered beneficial enough to serve as an interlocutor for English language learning.