HARNESSING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE-BASED LEARNING TOOLS TO FOSTER LEARNER AUTONOMY IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLASSROOMS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18173/2354-1075.2026-0069Keywords:
learner autonomy, artificial intelligence, ChatGPT, Call Annie, English language learningAbstract
The integration of artificial intelligence into foreign language education is expanding opportunities for out-of-class practice through rapid feedback, personalized tasks, and flexible language experimentation. This study examined the use of ChatGPT and Call Annie in an eight-week intervention with 80 first-year English-major students, using a mixed-methods design that combined a questionnaire with semi-structured interviews. The quantitative results showed high levels of tool use and emotional engagement, whereas self-regulatory autonomy scored lower than behavioral autonomy. Interview data helped explain this gap: many students reported practicing more frequently and feeling more confident, but they did not consistently verify, compare, or justify AI-generated feedback. The findings suggest that AI is best understood as a mediating resource for developing learner autonomy; its educational value depends on learners’ strategies and teachers’ design of verification and reflective activities.
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