Optimizing English Listening Pedagogy Through AIGC: Evidence From TTS-Enhanced Anxiety Mitigation, Metacognitive Awareness, and Performance Gains

Abstract

This study examined the efficacy of Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (AIGC), specifically Text-to-Speech (TTS) technology, in addressing three persistent challenges in English listening pedagogy: high learner anxiety, underdeveloped metacognitive awareness, and suboptimal performance. Guided by the IDEE framework, an eight-week quasi-experiment was conducted with 100 Chinese senior high school students (50 control, 50 experimental). Post-intervention analyses with Bonferroni correction revealed significant between-group differences: anxiety reduction (t(98) = -2.76, p = .021, d =0.55 ), enhanced metacognitive awareness (t(90.34) = -3.06, p = .009, d =0.61 ), and improved listening performance (t(98) = 4.51, p < .001, d =0.90 ). Within the experimental group, paired samples t-tests confirmed substantial anxiety decrease (t(49) = 5.07, p < .001) and metacognitive gains (t(49) = -5.45, p < .001). These results demonstrate AIGC’s capacity to alleviate affective barriers through adaptive input scaffolding while fostering cognitive regulation. The study establishes TTS technology as a pedagogically transformative tool that advances sustainable listening instruction through personalized, cost-efficient interventions.