Enhancing EFL speaking competence through AI-supported instruction: A quasi-experimental study at a Vietnamese university.

Tóm tắt

Developing speaking competence remains a major challenge in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction at high level. Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) o#er new possibilities for enhancing speaking instruction through increased practice, interaction, and feedback. This study investigates the e#ectiveness of AI-supported speaking instruction among undergraduate students at a university in Hanoi. Using a quasi-experimental design, the study involved 70 undergraduates, with 35 assigned to an experimental group and 35 to a control group. The experimental group received AI-assisted speaking activities (chatbots and speech recognition tools) integrated into regular instruction (20-30 minutes per session) in eight weeks, while the control group followed traditional speaking instruction. Speaking performance was assessed through pre- and post-tests and analyzed across fluency, accuracy, complexity, and interactional competence. Independent-samples and paired-samples t-tests were employed for data analysis. The results reveal no significant di#erence between the two groups at pre-test. However, the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group at post- test, with a large e#ect size. Notable gains were observed in fluency and interactional competence, significant improvements in accuracy, and more modest gains in complexity. These findings suggest that AI-supported instruction can e#ectively enhance EFL speaking competence in higher education.