Improving efl speaking performance among undergraduate students with an ai-powered mobile app in after-class assignments: an empirical investigation
English speaking represents one of the most challenging competencies for EFL learners, mainly due to the limited opportunities for authentic practice, especially within monolingual contexts like China. However, the ubiquitous personal mobile devices (smartphones) and the advent of AI-powered mobile...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Springer Nature
2025
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| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/120566/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/120566/1/120566.pdf |
| _version_ | 1848868202882269184 |
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| author | Mingyan, Ma Noordin, Nooreen Razali, Abu Bakar |
| author_facet | Mingyan, Ma Noordin, Nooreen Razali, Abu Bakar |
| author_sort | Mingyan, Ma |
| building | UPM Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | English speaking represents one of the most challenging competencies for EFL learners, mainly due to the limited opportunities for authentic practice, especially within monolingual contexts like China. However, the ubiquitous personal mobile devices (smartphones) and the advent of AI-powered mobile apps equipped with automatic speech recognition, natural language processing, and text-to-speech present novel solutions to overcome these hurdles. This study investigates the effects of an AI-powered mobile application (Liulishuo) on Chinese undergraduate EFL students’ speaking performance, using features such as automatic feedback, process-oriented monitoring, and tailored instructions. Employing a quasi-experimental design, this 10-week study was conducted at a Chinese university with two groups of participants. The control group (n = 31) engaged with WeChat for after-class assignments, whereas the experimental group (n = 32) supplemented WeChat use with Liulishuo, diversifying their educational tools. Results indicated that participants in the experimental group significantly outperformed those in the control group regarding overall speaking performance. More specifically, notable improvements were observed in pronunciation and fluency, while vocabulary and grammar enhancements were not statistically significant. These findings underscore the capacity of AI-powered mobile apps to enhance EFL speaking performance, signaling novel pathways for the evolution of language education. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-15T14:48:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | upm-120566 |
| institution | Universiti Putra Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-15T14:48:39Z |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publisher | Springer Nature |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | upm-1205662025-10-06T04:10:11Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/120566/ Improving efl speaking performance among undergraduate students with an ai-powered mobile app in after-class assignments: an empirical investigation Mingyan, Ma Noordin, Nooreen Razali, Abu Bakar English speaking represents one of the most challenging competencies for EFL learners, mainly due to the limited opportunities for authentic practice, especially within monolingual contexts like China. However, the ubiquitous personal mobile devices (smartphones) and the advent of AI-powered mobile apps equipped with automatic speech recognition, natural language processing, and text-to-speech present novel solutions to overcome these hurdles. This study investigates the effects of an AI-powered mobile application (Liulishuo) on Chinese undergraduate EFL students’ speaking performance, using features such as automatic feedback, process-oriented monitoring, and tailored instructions. Employing a quasi-experimental design, this 10-week study was conducted at a Chinese university with two groups of participants. The control group (n = 31) engaged with WeChat for after-class assignments, whereas the experimental group (n = 32) supplemented WeChat use with Liulishuo, diversifying their educational tools. Results indicated that participants in the experimental group significantly outperformed those in the control group regarding overall speaking performance. More specifically, notable improvements were observed in pronunciation and fluency, while vocabulary and grammar enhancements were not statistically significant. These findings underscore the capacity of AI-powered mobile apps to enhance EFL speaking performance, signaling novel pathways for the evolution of language education. Springer Nature 2025-03-15 Article PeerReviewed text en cc_by_nc_nd_4 http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/120566/1/120566.pdf Mingyan, Ma and Noordin, Nooreen and Razali, Abu Bakar (2025) Improving efl speaking performance among undergraduate students with an ai-powered mobile app in after-class assignments: an empirical investigation. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12 (1). art. no. 370. ISSN 2662-9992 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-025-04688-0?error=cookies_not_supported&code=b6c1cedf-4065-4af5-80a3-96e4ae128875 10.1057/s41599-025-04688-0 |
| spellingShingle | Mingyan, Ma Noordin, Nooreen Razali, Abu Bakar Improving efl speaking performance among undergraduate students with an ai-powered mobile app in after-class assignments: an empirical investigation |
| title | Improving efl speaking performance among undergraduate students with an ai-powered mobile app in after-class assignments: an empirical investigation |
| title_full | Improving efl speaking performance among undergraduate students with an ai-powered mobile app in after-class assignments: an empirical investigation |
| title_fullStr | Improving efl speaking performance among undergraduate students with an ai-powered mobile app in after-class assignments: an empirical investigation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Improving efl speaking performance among undergraduate students with an ai-powered mobile app in after-class assignments: an empirical investigation |
| title_short | Improving efl speaking performance among undergraduate students with an ai-powered mobile app in after-class assignments: an empirical investigation |
| title_sort | improving efl speaking performance among undergraduate students with an ai-powered mobile app in after-class assignments: an empirical investigation |
| url | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/120566/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/120566/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/120566/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/120566/1/120566.pdf |