Beyond the bot: Instructor facilitation, self-efficacy, and online English motivation in an AI-rich era

Guided by the ecological systems theory, this study focuses on the effects of AI chatbot-assisted English practice and instructor facilitation on Chinese undergraduates' online English language learning motivation (i.e., communication SE) and whether the social English learning exposure exerts a moderating effect. A three-wave survey on 463 students (across Shenzhen, Hangzhou, and Chengdu) was analyzed using the partial least squares method of structural equation modeling. Both AI chatbot practice and instructor facilitation independently had a positive impact on students' motivation to master English, and the relationships were each mediated by SE. Moreover, social media exposure to English enhanced the instructor-motivation pathway (by consolidating instructor-led improvements in self-efficacy) but did not moderate the chatbot-motivation pathway in any significant way. The model accounted for 54.9% variance in self-efficacy and 48.5% of variance in motivation. These results show the importance of integrating AI tools with sound teaching: this means in practice that teachers should incorporate chatbot tasks in their feedback and guidance, and carefully design informal digital English activities that are consistent with formal coursework, in order to maximize the motivation of students.