The Effect of Using Chatbots and Digital Literacy on Iranian EFL Learners' Speaking: A Mixed Methods Study

With the rapid advancement of technology, the use of chatbots for language learning has been on the rise. However, there is a dearth of research exploring the effect of using chatbots for improving EFL learners' speaking in the light of digital literacy. Accordingly, this study examined the role of using chatbots for enhancing the speaking performance of EFL learners with high and low levels of digital literacy. A digital literacy scale was administered to 108 EFL learners and 36 with the highest and 36 with the lowest scores were identified. Then, both groups received a speaking pretest. Afterwards, both groups used a chatbot for speaking practice for 12 sessions. After treatment, both groups were given a speaking posttest. Moreover, 15 participants from each group partook in semi-structured interviews. The results of Mann Whitney U-test revealed that the high-digital literacy group outscored their low-digital literacy counterparts on speaking performance. The results of qualitative data analysis revealed five themes for the high digital literacy group, including usefulness, interest, convenience, lowering anxiety, and motivation. As for the low digital literacy group, two dominant themes emerged, namely inadequate knowledge of technology use and inadequate typing skills. The results are discussed and implications for language teaching and learning are provided.