Chatbots for language learning—Are they really useful? A systematic review of chatbot‐supported language learning

🤖 Plain-English Summary

Abstract Background The use of chatbots as learning assistants is receiving increasing attention in language learning due to their ability to converse with students using natural language. Several challenges in using chatbots were identified: technological limitations, the novelty effect, and cognitive load.

🔑 Key Findings

• Previous reviews mainly focused on only one or two narrow aspects of chatbot use in language learning.
• This review goes beyond merely reporting the specific types of chatbot employed in past empirical studies and examines the usefulness of chatbots in language learning, including first language learning, second language learning, and foreign language learning.
• Aims The primary purpose of this review is to discover the possible technological, pedagogical, and social affordances enabled by chatbots in language learning.

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