سامانه همایش های دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی واحد اصفهان (خوراسگان)

صفحه اصلی / همایش ملی تکنولوژی و تدریس هم افزایی نوین در فرایند یادگیری

Honing Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners' Speaking Skills with Artificial Intelligence (ELSA Speak Application): Complexity, Accuracy, and Fluency in Focus

نویسندگان :

Maryam Abutorab¹ Sara Hashemi Shahraki²

1- دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی واحد نجف آباد 2- دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی واحد نجف آباد

کلمات کلیدی :

Artificial Intelligence،ELSA Speak application،Speaking ability،Speaking accuracy،Speaking complexity،Speaking fluency

چکیده :

This study aimed to examine the effects of using the ELSA (English Learning Speech Assistant) Speak application (an Artificial Intelligence application) on the speaking skills of Iranian intermediate English as a foreign language (EFL) learners, focusing on complexity, accuracy, and fluency. To achieve this aim, 62 Iranian boys and girls intermediate EFL learners (33 in the experimental group and 29 in the control group), aged 16-25, who were selected non-randomly through convenience sampling from the learners studying at Jahad-e-Daneshgahi, Najafabad, during the summer term of 2024. A mixed-method quasi-experimental design was employed to achieve this purpose. To homogenize the learners, the Oxford Quick Placement Test (Dave, 2004) was used, the other data collection tools were the ELSA Speak application and the IELTS Speaking Test Part 2 as the pre-test and post-test to measure the effects of using the ELSA Speak application on learners' speaking proficiency. The experimental group (EG) was trained to use the ELSA Speak application during the eight treatment sessions to practice speaking skills, while the control group (CG) received a traditional speaking instruction approach. The data from the pre-test and post-test speaking assessments were analyzed using a one-way ANCOVA to determine the effectiveness of using the ELSA Speak application. The quantitative analysis showed a positive effect of the ELSA Speak application on speaking skills, specifically on the components of complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF). Moreover, the quantitative results were in line with the qualitative findings and demonstrated that students who utilized the ELSA Speak application exhibited enhanced speaking proficiency in the features of complexity (improvements in vocabulary choice and grammatical structures), accuracy (developments in subject-verb agreement, and grammatical knowledge), and fluency (enhancements in pronunciation, intonation, and overall speech delivery). The findings recommend that the ELSA Speak application can be a valuable instrument for language learning, with implications for language instructors, language learners, and curriculum designers.