Exploring EFL Teachers' Strategies in Employing AI Chatbots in Writing Instruction to Enhance Student Engagement

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a powerful tool in English as a Foreign Language (EFL), offering significant prospects for improving language learning and teaching. Recently, the incorporation of chatbots, one of the advanced AI language models, in EFL writing has garnered interest. This study aims to investigate the use of AI chatbots in EFL writing instruction, driven by their potential to stimulate student engagement across affective, behavioral, and cognitive engagement. The main objective was to evaluate student engagement levels with AI chatbots and assess EFL teachers' strategies for stimulating this engagement. Utilizing a mixed-methods design, the research involved 40 students and two faculty members, employing questionnaires and semi-structured interviews for data collection. Quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS, and qualitative insights were obtained through thematic analysis of interview transcripts. Findings indicate that AI chatbots significantly improve student engagement, evidenced by high affective, behavioral, and cognitive engagement levels. The study identifies three effective strategies teachers use: personalized feedback, gamification, and interactive writing assignments. The research findings show the potential benefits of integrating AI chatbots into EFL writing instruction, facilitating informed decisions to optimize technology usage through understanding student engagement levels and effective teaching strategies, eventually enhancing student learning outcomes.