THE USE OF AN INTERACTIVE CHATBOT IN GRAMMAR LEARNING

Abstract

The current study attempted to measure the impact of using an interactive WhatsApp bot designed using Python language programming in grammar learning. To this end, sixty Omani pre-intermediate English proficiency learners were the sample population of this study to act as a control and experimental group, with an equal number of students in each group. A pretest was conducted to measure students’ grammatical knowledge and ensure the homogeneity of the students before treatment. Although both groups received in-class instructions on using grammar, the experimental group received treatment that used an interactive WhatsApp bot as an extra facilitator to obtain materials outside of the classroom. After the treatment period, a posttest was conducted to compare the results of the two groups. Three weeks later, a delayed post-test was conducted to check the students’ retention of the grammatical structure. The study’s findings showed that both groups progressed in the posttest, which could result from teachers` instructions; however, the experimental group showed statistically significant progress in the posttest compared to the control group. The results of this study could provide better opportunities for teachers, students, and institutions to work efficiently and accurately in an academic environment.