EFL adolescents’ engagement in artificial intelligence and peer interaction

This study investigates how intelligent personal assistants (IPAs, e.g., Google Assistant), AI language learning applications, and peer interactions shape the learning experiences of 201 seventh-grade Korean EFL students. The students participated in a 12-week intervention and were categorized into four groups: Google Assistant, AI app, peer interactions, and textbook-based instruction (control group). Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through questionnaires to examine the cognitive, behavioral, and emotional engagement. The findings highlight the distinct contributions of each intervention to student engagement. The IPAs were praised for creating interactive, humorous, and natural conversations that felt like speaking with real native speakers. This feature significantly enhanced students’ emotional engagement compared to the control group. With their structured and gamified learning features, including immediate feedback and repetitive practice, AI apps motivated students but were considered less interactive. Peer interactions provided rich opportunities for authentic communication and socioemotional connections, which AI tools could not replicate. Although the AI tools effectively enhanced student engagement, peer interactions supported developing human connections. These connections manifested through collaborative learning, peer support, and forming a learning community and were instrumental in fostering socioemotional engagement. The findings offer insight for educators aiming to balance technology and interpersonal collaboration in EFL instruction.