Leveraging extended reality and artificial intelligence for public speaking training in higher education: evaluating the impact of XR MALL on ESL/EFL students

This study examines the potential of XR MALL, an innovative application integrating Extended Reality (XR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and mobile technologies to enhance public speaking skills among ESL/EFL students in higher education. Grounded in the Constructivist Approach and the Public Speaking Competence Model, a quasi-experimental design was employed with undergraduate students enrolled in an English presentation course at a Hong Kong university. Participants were assigned to experimental and control groups, with the experimental group using XR MALL over a ten-week intervention. Pre- and post-intervention data assessed presentation skills, language proficiency, public speaking anxiety (PSA), and cognitive and affective outcomes. Results indicated that students using XR MALL demonstrated significant improvements in self-perceived English proficiency, presentation skills, vocabulary, listening ability, and reductions in PSA compared to the control group. The experimental group also showed enhanced critical thinking, independent learning, confidence, and motivation. Students reported high satisfaction with the VR practice simulations and AI-powered speech feedback. The findings highlight the pedagogical value of integrating VR-based simulation, AI-driven feedback, and AR-supported vocabulary learning within a mobile-assisted framework. This study contributes to XR research by presenting a theory-driven, purpose-built mobile application that combines immersive practice and personalized feedback for public speaking training in ESL/EFL higher education contexts.