Using Artificial Intelligence for Developing English Language Teaching/Learning: An Analytical Study from University Students’ Perspective

Abstract

As time passes on, machines are becoming more and more complex, fast-processing and intelligent. Being exactly like humans deducting, inferring and making decisions is still away, however some remarkable gains in the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques and machine learning have been recently recorded. Therefore, the current study seeks to examine strategies for effectively applying artificial intelligence (AI) applications to teach/learn English according to the university students’ point of view. The study adopts the analytical descriptive approach in order to study and analyze the literature, to describe AI and the strategies of its employment for teaching/learning English. A 40-item questionnaire was used. It covers the following fields: AI strategies and its suitable applications for teaching/learning English, the effectiveness of these applications, their practical use, and the requirements for using them in the fields of teaching/learning English. Measuring the validity and reliability of the questionnaire revealed a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.931. The study sample consisted of 44 randomly selected male students from the English language stream at Northern Border University. A set of study instruments was applied. The results revealed a group of strategies suitable for employing AI for teaching/learning English. The results also indicated a very low level of employment of these strategies for teaching/learning English, and pointed out to their effectiveness if used in this field. The study has identified the training requirements from the study sample’s point of view. A suggested plan has been envisioned that includes the basics, objectives, content, processors, and evaluation methods for the employment of AI applications in the field of English education.