Optimizing ESL Learners’ Speech Act Performance: The Role of AI-Powered Chatbots in Pragmatic Competence Development

Abstract

This mixed-methods study investigates the effectiveness of AI-powered chatbots in enhancing the pragmatic competence of Pakistani undergraduate ESL learners, focusing specifically on the production of contextually appropriate speech acts-requests, apologies, and refusals. A total of 50 students, ranging from A2 to B2 proficiency levels (CEFR), participated in a four-week intervention involving scripted and open-ended interactions with a Google Dialog flow chatbot designed to simulate real-life conversational scenarios. Quantitative results from pre-and post-intervention assessments, based on validated pragmatic tasks, revealed significant improvement in speech act appropriateness (p< 0.001), with mean scores increasing from 58.4 to 76.2. Requests showed the highest performance gain (33.7%), followed by apologies (29.5%) and refusals (24.6%). Qualitative data from post-intervention questionnaires and interviews with selected participants uncovered three key themes: increased engagement and motivation, improved speaking confidence, and heightened awareness of polite and context-sensitive language use. Students highlighted the chatbot’s non-judgmental, adaptive nature as instrumental in reducing language anxiety and promoting risk-taking in communication. While some limitations were noted, particularly regarding the chatbot’s ability to handle Context-dependent cultural variations, the findings support the integration of AI chatbots into blended ESL instruction. This study contributes to the growing body of research advocating the use of intelligent conversational agents to foster socio-pragmatic competence, especially in underrepresented educational contexts.