Exploring Tertiary Vietnamese EFL Students’ Engagement in Vocabulary Learning through the Use of an AI Tool

Abstract

The utilization of AI tools in language teaching is increasingly popular worldwide. Existing literature suggests that educators have integrated AI tools into their teaching methodologies to enhance student learning. Among the tools, POE is currently being used by several Vietnamese ESL teachers. Nonetheless, students’ engagement in and their perception of the effectiveness of the tool still needs to be explored. Hence, this research was carried out to assess student engagement in utilizing this AI chatbot for students’ vocabulary learning and their perceived usefulness and benefits. With a mixed-method approach, the study was conducted at a public university in Vietnam with a sample of 31 English-majored students. Data were collected through questionnaires and interviews. The quantitative data were analyzed with the use of repeated-measures ANOVA (RMA), while the qualitative data were analyzed following thematic analysis guidelines. The findings revealed that most of the participants found the tool useful, and they were actively engaged in learning vocabulary using this tool. The research outcomes propose valuable insights for university EFL teachers regarding the integration of AI tools like POE into curricula to optimize students’ learning experiences with innovative language instruction.

Teaching and Learning Collocations in the Vietnamese Context: Teachers’ Voices

“…Simultaneously, the teachers in this study all think that digital games provided on platforms such as Quizizz, Kahoot and Quizlet can motivate learners when learning new vocabulary. For EFL learners at the tertiary level, a study conducted by Pham et al (2024) revealed that university learners enjoyed using an AI-based chatbot called POE, or Platform of Open Exploration, created by OpenAI in 2020. This chatbot is believed to help learners with their vocabulary learning process as this tool provides them with ideas and necessary vocabulary for assignments.…”

“…Digital games have been proven to assist EFL learners' vocabulary learning process (Trinh et al, 2022). Besides digital games created on platforms such as Quizizz and Kahoot, teachers can introduce AIbased chatbots to EFL learners of higher education levels, which can help them brainstorm ideas and equip them with the necessary vocabulary for writing or speaking assignments (Pham et al, 2024).…”