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Impact of AI on L2 language acquisition: Literature Review

Impact of AI on L2 language acquisition

By: Abid, Ayesha, Komal, Shaista, Shafaq

An increasing trend in second language (L2) acquisition can be noticed due to various reasons.

Every year millions of students migrate from one country to another country for education where

they are often exposed to an alien language. Moreover, in most countries, students are taught a

second language at the school level. Like everything else, there is an increase in the use of AI in

education which is partly accelerated by COVID-19 (Mageira, et al., 2022). L2 language

acquisition is no exception, recently the use of AI especially large language model based (LLM)

AI and chatbots in L2 language acquisition has increased exponentially.

This trend is more notable for the English language which has become lingua franca, and more

and more people are learning and wish to stand at a par in it. But language has different

dimensions that is speaking, writing, listening, and reading. These are measured through

different tests such as TOEFL, IELTS, PTE, etc that are held globally at regular intervals. A

Sboom??? can be seen in the use of AI-based technologies in teaching these different dimensions

of the English language, such as speaking, writing, and listening comprehension. This is evident

by the abundance of research in this field (Gayed , Carlon, Oriola, & Cross, 2022; Jeon, 2023;

Mageira, et al., 2022; Tai & Chen, 2022; Vgot, 2019; Yuan, 2023; Zhang & Huang, 2024).

Various researchers are working in exploring the potential of AI and LLM-based interventions to

optimize the process of L2 language acquisition.

Studies show that AI-based writing assistant improves lexical diversity (Gayed , Carlon, Oriola,

& Cross, 2022). The use of AI-based learning assistants improves L2 vocabulary acquisition and

retention for English (cite here relevant studies) and Chinese (cite here relevant studies)
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languages (Chen, Widarso, & Sutrinso, 2020; Jeon, 2023; Vgot, 2019; Zhang & Huang, 2024;).

Some studies have explored the potential of AI-based chatbots for the improvement in spoken

English proficiency. This can also help in broadening the horizon of AI integration in the field of

Education (Yuan, 2023).

Learning is a two-way process where the motivation of the learner and teacher is equally

important. Teachers use different ways to keep the learner motivated toward learning activities.

A pivotal aspect of language learning is the learner’s willingness to communicate (WTC).

Studies show that the use of AI chatbots increases WTC and has an additional benefit in learning

L2 languages (Su & Kim, 2024; Yuan, 2023).

However, many of these studies mention certain limitations. One of these limitations is the

use of a smaller sample size which in many cases is under 20 participants for the experimental

group (Gayed, Carlon, Oriola, & Cross, 2022; Jeon, 2023; Chen, Widarso, & Sutrinso, 2020).

On the other hand, some studies have deliberated to address this shortcoming of small sample

size (Tai & Chen, 2022; Vgot,2019).

Overall, these studies show a tremendous potential for using LLM-based AI and Chabot in all

dimensions of L2 language acquisition. However, the digital environment constructed to set up a

learning environment for L2 language acquisition often involves specialized software AI-based

chatbots, or other interventions that require decent funds. For a country like Pakistan where less

than 2% is allocated for education and where physical and digital infrastructure is highly

compromised, the use of such technologies, no matter how effective, seems to be a distant

possibility. Nevertheless, the availability of smartphones and 4G services presents a possibility

of using LLM-based applications such as ChatGPT and built-in Intelligent Personal Assistants

(IPA) available in Android and Apple systems such as Google Assistant, SIRI and other tools
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can be used widely to optimize the learning experience of L2 language acquisition for Pakistani

students. These AI-based digital assistants can act as dictionaries, translators, and interpreters

and have been used in previous studies (Tai & Chen, 2022). To address this challenge a study

has been designed that explores how the use of a combination of Google Assistant and ChatGPT

3.5 impacts the spoken, written, and comprehension aspects of L2 language acquisition among

secondary school students.

Research Question: how does the use of a combination of Google Assistant and ChatGPT

3.5 impact the spoken, written, and comprehension aspects of L2 language acquisition

among secondary school students?

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References

Chen, H., Widarso, G. V., & Sutrinso, H. (2020). A chatBot for learning Chinese: Lerning

achievment and technology acceptance . Journal of Educational Computing Research,

1161-1189.

Gayed , J. M., Carlon, M. K., Oriola, A. M., & Cross, J. S. (2022). Exploring an AI-based

writing assistant’s impact on English langauge learners. Computers and Education:

Artificial Inteligence.

Jeon, J. (2023). Chatbot-Assisted Dynamic Assessment (CA-DA) for L2 Vocabulary Learning

and Diagnosis. Computer Assissted Language and Learning, 1338-1364.

Mageira, K., Pittou, D., Papasalourous, A., Kotis, K., Zangogainni, P., & Daradoumis, A. (2022).

Educational AI chatbots for content and language integrated learning. Applied Science.

Su, Y., & Kim, A. (2024). How implementing an AI chatbot impacts Korean as a foreign

language learners’ willingness to communicate in Korean. System.

Tai, T., & Chen, H. (2022). The impact of intelligent personal assistants on adolescent EFL

learners’ listening comprehension. Computer Assited Language Learning .

Vgot, P. (2019). Language tutoring using social robots: A large scale study . IEEE.

Yuan, Y. (2023). An empirical study of the efficacy of AI chatbots for English as a foreign

language learning in primary education. Interactive Learning Environments.

Zhang, Z., & Huang, X. (2024). The impact of chatbots based on large language models on

second language vocabulary acquisition. Heliyon.