My English Teachers Are Not Human but I Like Them: Research on Virtual Teacher Self-study Learning System in K12

Abstract

English is the most used second language in the world. Mastering vocabulary is the prerequisite for learning English well. In middle school, students direct their own studying outside the classroom to facilitate memorizing and understanding. However, the lack of teacher guidance in the self-study process will negatively affect learning. Producing video lecture materials including talking teachers costs time, energy, and money. The development of artificial intelligence makes it possible to create such materials automatically. However, it is still unclear whether a system embedded with AI-generated virtual teachers can facilitate self-study compared with the system with merely the speech in self-study in K12. To address this gap, we conducted a user study with 56 high school students, collecting learning outcomes, user experience, and learning experience. Results showed that the virtual teacher helps to improve the student’s English learning performance both in retention and transfer. Participants reported high user and learning experience. Our findings shed light on the use of virtual teachers for self-study students in K12.