ERIC Number: EJ1467661
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 26
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1832-4215
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Using Alexa in Technology-Supported Task-Based Learning to Mediate EFL Texts: A Pilot Study
JALT CALL Journal, v21 n1 Article 2149 2025
Given the novelty of human--machine communication (HMC) in task-based language learning (TBLL), we conducted a multimethodological pilot study to explore the use of Alexa in out-of-class task-based learning to mediate texts in English as a foreign language. Fourteen Polish intermediate learners participated in the quasi-experiment and programme evaluation. The treatment was investigated with reference to its impact on the participants' mediating skill, their self-perceived acceptance of the technology, and the HMC process. Even though the statistical analysis of the pre- and post-tests revealed that the intervention had no effect on the students' ability to mediate texts, the findings from quantitative and qualitative analyses of the learners' logs, the Alexa app, poststudy questionnaires, and interviews were positive. Despite HMC breakdowns, the learners kept interacting with the technology by producing modified output through rephrasing and had very high opinions of the use of the tool in learning to mediate. The results enhance the understanding of the new phenomenon of voice assistance and its application in TBLL; however, longer-term research on the implementation of Alexa (and the like) is required in view of the limitations of the current research related to the short duration of the treatment and small sample size.
Descriptors: Computer Software, Artificial Intelligence, Technology Uses in Education, Teaching Methods, Task Analysis, Audio Equipment, Second Language Instruction, Second Language Learning, Pilot Projects, English (Second Language), Program Evaluation, Intervention, Student Attitudes, Diaries, Learning Processes, Foreign Countries, Language Tests, Likert Scales, Secondary School Students, Private Schools, Language Processing
JALT CALL SIG. 1-6-1 Nishiwaseda Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 169-8050, Japan. e-mail: journal!jaltcall.org; Web site: https://jaltcall.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Poland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A