Chatbots for Action-Oriented Language Learning

The aim of this study is to investigate (i) how learners perceive the non-educational chatbot Elbot as a language learning tool in a formal context (university German course), and (ii) to what extent a set of task-oriented interactions with Elbot influences the learners’ behaviour (e.g. lexical c...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Mazzilli, Francesca
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Fondazione Università Ca’ Foscari 2021-03-01
Series:Educazione Linguistica Language Education
Subjects:
Online Access:http://doi.org/10.30687/ELLE/2280-6792/2021/01/005
Description
Summary:The aim of this study is to investigate (i) how learners perceive the non-educational chatbot Elbot as a language learning tool in a formal context (university German course), and (ii) to what extent a set of task-oriented interactions with Elbot influences the learners’ behaviour (e.g. lexical choices) during a separate activity. For these purposes, this study outlines a lesson/experiment focused on the enhancement of conflict-solving skills in German as a foreign language. A mixed-methods approach was applied to evaluate Elbot’s contribution to the lesson as well as its impact on the learners’ choice of basic strategies to solve a conflict. The study concludes with the discussion of the advantages of developing an edu-bot based on an existing non-educational chatbot. In this regard, the research also provides some concrete proposals based on the results of the data analysis.
ISSN:2280-6792