The effectiveness of using chatbot-based environment on learning process, students’ performances and perceptions: A mixed exploratory study

Abstract

During the last few years, the popularity of chatbots has risen and grown exponentially with the increase in demand for smartphones and messaging applications. Chatbots can be utilized in education by providing information about educational content, communication, and assistance, enhancing classroom participation, and facilitating collaborative learning. Despite the high use of chatbots in learning, little research has attempted to understand students’ perceptions of that environment and support them with quantitative data. This mixed exploratory study examines undergraduate students’ perceptions of the chatbot-based learning environment by analyzing qualitative and quantitative data in the Internet Research and E-Commerce Unit in the Computer Skills course. Quantitative evidence was collected to support qualitative results. Data was identified and sorted into categories organized as sub-titles and the effect of this environment, which led to five main topics: flexible environment, enhanced learning, well-being, effective communication, and motivation. The results showed the acceptability of chatbots among students and a positive trend toward their use in the learning process and gives the learner the ability to control the selection of the appropriate place and time to learn, the repetition of exercises, and access to content quickly and in multiple ways that suit his/ her preferences.