Speaker
Description
As Vietnam transitions from English as a Foreign Language (EFL) to English as a Second Language (ESL), there is a growing necessity for learners to exhibit communicative spontaneity. However, the sociolinguistic norm of “face-saving” frequently hinders willingness to communicate and exacerbates foreign language classroom anxiety. This exploratory pilot study investigates whether Generative AI voice chatbots can act as a “face-neutral” space that may help reduce these barriers. A mixed-methods design will be employed, involving 30 English majors at a university in Hanoi who will participate in daily voice interactions with ChatGPT over the course of one week. Surveys conducted before and after the intervention will assess Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety (FLCA) and Willingness to Communicate (WTC), subsequently complemented by semi-structured interviews with eight participants. Three qualitative themes are expected to emerge: (1) AI functioning as a face-neutral environment, (2) the opportunity to fail without incurring social costs, and (3) AI serving as scaffolding that facilitates human interaction. Nonetheless, AI does not possess the necessary pragmatic and cultural nuances, indicating that it should serve a complementary role rather than a substitutive one. The research offers practitioners practical AI prompt templates and a comprehensive “master setup” guide that educators can readily apply in their teaching environments. The research culminates in pedagogical suggestions for the incorporation of AI within Vietnam's ESL-focused curricula, especially as a confidence-enhancing resource for teacher education initiatives.
Key words: English as a foreign language (EFL), English as a second language (ESL), AI Chatbot, Face, Willingness to communicate (WTC)
