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A Pilot Study of Preservice Teachers Accepting and Using Chatbots to Enhance CFL Education

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Innovative Technologies and Learning (ICITL 2023)

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore how preservice teachers of Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) perceive the integration of chatbots into CFL teaching. A group of 18 preservice CFL teachers participated in the study and were given two three-hour training sessions on chatbot editing. During the training, they had the opportunity to create their own chatbots to assist CFL learners in practicing conversation. Following the activities, the participants were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding their perceptions of the potential benefits of chatbots for CFL education. The findings indicate that the majority of preservice CFL teachers enjoyed the chatbot editing activity and agreed that chatbots should be incorporated into CFL teaching. Additionally, the CFL skills that they believed could be improved through the use of chatbots were identified and may be useful for future research and for educators.

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Acknowledgement

We thank the National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan, ROC, under grant numbers MOST 110-2511-H-003 -038 -MY3 and MOST 111-2410-H-003 -006 -MY3 for financially supporting this research.

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Correspondence to Yu-Ju Lan .

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Appendix A

Appendix A

Your Opinion on Using Chatbots for Language Teaching or Learning

  1. 1.

    How much do you like using chatbots to practice foreign language speaking or writing?

    • Don’t like it at all

    • Dislike it

    • Like it

    • Really like it

  2. 2.

    How would you rate the usability of using chatbots for language learning?

    • Poor

    • Fair

    • Good

    • Excellent

  3. 3.

    In your experience, how challenging is it to use chatbots for language learning?

    • Very challenging

    • Somewhat challenging

    • Somewhat easy

    • Very easy

  4. 4.

    How important is ease of use when using chatbots for language learning?

    • Not important

    • Somewhat important

    • Important

    • Very important

  5. 5.

    In comparison to other language learning resources, how helpful do you find chatbots?

    • Not helpful

    • Somewhat helpful

    • Helpful

    • Very helpful

  6. 6.

    How often do you feel frustrated or confused while using chatbots to practice a foreign language?

    • Very often

    • Sometimes

    • Rarely

    • Never

  7. 7.

    How effective do you think chatbots are for language learning?

    • Not effective

    • Somewhat effective

    • Effective

    • Very effective

  8. 8.

    How would you rate the design of chatbots you have used for language learning?

    • Poor

    • Fair

    • Good

    • Excellent

  9. 9.

    In your opinion, do chatbots help with specific language skills more than others?

    • Strongly Disagree

    • Disagree

    • Agree

    • Strongly Agree

  10. 10.

    How important is it for chatbot technology to evolve to better support language learners’ needs and expectations?

    • Not important

    • Somewhat important

    • Important

    • Very important

  11. 11.

    If you wanted to incorporate chatbots into Chinese teaching, what language skills would you use chatbot to teach or what skills would you have students use chatbot to practice/learn?

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Lan, YJ., Chung, FL., Chang, M. (2023). A Pilot Study of Preservice Teachers Accepting and Using Chatbots to Enhance CFL Education. In: Huang, YM., Rocha, T. (eds) Innovative Technologies and Learning. ICITL 2023. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 14099. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-40113-8_25

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-40113-8_25

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-40112-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-40113-8

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