Developing AI Chatbots for Pragmatic Instruction of Korean Secondary L2 English Learners
Min-Chang Sung, Sooyeon Kang · Korean Journal of English Language and Linguistics · 2024
This study explores the design and application of AI chatbots tailored for L2 English pragmatic instruction. Addressing the importance of pragmatic competence alongside the challenges faced by L2 learners, we developed four chatbots through Dialogflow CX and integrated them onto web user interfaces to examine the effectiveness of the AI chatbots in L2 pragmatic learning. We invited a cohort of six middle school students to practice the conversations in pragmatically intensive (i.e., PDR-high) situations. Our findings reveal the need for a dual structure in chatbot design, a separation of technological operation from dialogic content, and a pair-wise page design for cohesive conversations. Additionally, user interfaces should offer contextual clues and linguistic supports to assist learners in understanding and navigating pragmatic exchanges. The participants’ positive perceptions highlight the chatbots’ effectiveness in improving pragmatic awareness and knowledge, akin to other dialogue-based computer-assisted language learning systems. However, the need for guiding feedback mechanisms and inclusive training data for chatbot development has also been noted. In conclusion, chatbots show promise for L2 pragmatic instruction especially when their design architectures and user interfaces carefully reflect dialogue contents, information technology, and supportive elements for effective learner interaction.