Interaction Opportunities With Generative AI: Their Effects on EFL Learners’ WTC, Anxiety, and Perceived Competence

For EFL learners to develop their interlanguage (IL) system efficiently, input, output, and interaction are indispensable. Advancements in ICT have made it possible to access high-quality input, such as TED and YouTube. Learners can also practice producing output by writing diaries, self-talk, giving a presentation, etc. However, interaction can only be done with an interlocutor. Recent remarkable technological advances have enabled natural interactions between generative AI and EFL learners, allowing learners to practice interactions at their own pace with less anxiety. This study aims to elucidate the effects of interaction opportunities with generative AI on the Willingness to Communicate (WTC), anxiety, and perceived competence of EFL learners. Sixty-six undergraduates were recruited as the participants. They had opportunities to interact with generative AI regularly. A questionnaire consisting of 24 items was employed to evaluate their WTC, anxiety, and perceived competence.
The analysis of the collected data suggests that interaction opportunities with generative AI raise WTC and perceived competence and lower anxiety.