Evaluating intelligent personal assistants for L2 listening and speaking development

• Published in: Language learning & technology Vol. 24; no. 1; pp. 16 - 26
• Main Author: Dizon, Gilbert
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: University of Hawaii National Foreign Language Resource Center 01.02.2020
• Subjects: Educational Technology; English (Second Language); Expressive Language; Foreign Countries; Intelligent Tutoring Systems; Language Proficiency; Listening Comprehension; Oral Language; Program Effectiveness; Receptive Language; Second Language Instruction; Student Attitudes; Teaching Methods; Undergraduate Students; Japan
• DOI: 10.64152/10125/44705
• ISSN: 1094-3501

While the use of intelligent personal assistants (IPAs) has exploded in recent years, little is known about their use to promote English as a foreign language (EFL) development. Thus, this study addresses this gap in the literature by examining the in-class use of the IPA, Alexa, among second language (L2) English students to support improvements in listening comprehension and speaking proficiency. The study utilized a quasi-experimental design with an experimental group (n = 13) which took part in a 10-week treatment of student-IPA interaction and a control group (n = 15) which did not. Results from the Mann-Whitney U test found that the experimental group was able to make more significant gains in L2 speaking proficiency. However, a significant difference was not found when comparing improvements in L2 listening comprehension. These findings suggest that IPAs may be a useful tool to promote L2 speaking skills and underscore the necessity for additional research on the emerging technology for language learning.