Exploring the Impact of AI Chatbots on Students’ Speaking Skills in EFL Learners: A Systematic Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26877/eternal.v17i1.3208Keywords:
AI Chatbots, EFL Speaking Skills, Learners’ PerceptionsAbstract
AI chatbot is one of the latest technologies in solving EFL students' problems with speaking anxiety and limited speaking practice. In this study, we conduct a Systematic Literature Review for the investigation of the effect of using AI chatbots on EFL students' speaking skills and learners' perceptions toward the use of AI chatbots in speaking skill improvement. We followed the SALSA framework, which includes Search, Appraisal, Synthesis, and Analysis to direct our work. We searched Lens.org and Google Scholar databases for articles. The articles published from 2020 to 2025. We also conducted a thematic analysis within 24 identified articles. Overall, evidence shows students benefit greatly by practicing with AI chatbots. Students who do so make gains in vocabulary, grammar, fluency, pronunciation, and foreign language speaking anxiety (FLSA) and thus feel more motivated to communicate in the target language, as students find bots to be a less critical audience. However, this meta-analysis did find a lack of evidence about the disadvantages of chatbot use. There are also the general limitations of AI, such as the tendency to output the same response for different inputs, and AI's inability to replace the teacher's contextual feedback. Thus, the study finds that AI chatbots are an effective and useful tool for improving EFL speaking ability when used in moderation and as a complement to teacher-led instruction in the classroom.
References
Ahyarudin, D. A., & Jamilah, J. (2024). Enhancing students'speaking skills: the impact of ai-based instructional tasks in the genre-based approach. Formosa journal of sustainable research учредители: formosa publisher, 3(9), 2019-2032.
Aldosari, M. (2024). Another World with Artificial Intelligence in Speaking Classes: To Delve into the Influences on Willingness to Communicate, Personal Best Goals, and Academic Enjoyment. Computer-Assisted Language Learning Electronic Journal, 25(4), 439-463.
Aliakbari, M., Barzan, P., & Sayyadi, M. (2025). Exploring the Impact of AI Chatbots on EFL Learners’ Conversational Proficiency. Journal of Interdisciplinary Research in English Language Communication, 1(2).
Alwazzan, M. S. (2024). Investigating the Effectiveness of Artificial Intelligence Chatbots in Enhancing Digital Dialogue Skills for Students. European Journal of Educational Research, 13(2).
Belda-Medina, J., & Calvo-Ferrer, J. R. (2022). Using chatbots as AI conversational partners in language learning. Applied Sciences, 12(17), 8427.
Çakmak, F. (2022). Chatbot-Human Interaction and Its Effects on EFL Students' L2 Speaking Performance and Anxiety. Novitas-ROYAL (Research on Youth and Language), 16(2), 113-131.
Ding, D., & Yusof, M. B. (2025). Investigating the role of AI-powered conversation bots in enhancing L2 speaking skills and reducing speaking anxiety: a mixed methods study. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12(1), 1-16.
El Shazly, R. (2021). Effects of artificial intelligence on English speaking anxiety and speaking performance: A case study. Expert Systems, 38(3), e12667.
Hoang, N. T., Han, D. N., & Le, D. H. (2023). Exploring chatbot AI in improving vocational students’ English pronunciation. AsiaCALL Online Journal, 14 (2), 140–155.
Mahmoud, R. H. (2022). Implementing AI-based conversational chatbots in EFL speaking classes: An evolutionary perspective.
Mahmoud, R. H. (2022). Implementing AI-based conversational chatbots in EFL speaking classes: An evolutionary perspective.
Maysuroh, S., Fikni, Z., & Aisyah, S. (2025). EFL Students’ Perceptions of AI Chatbots in Learning Speaking Skills. INTERACTION: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa, 12(3), 489-500.
Mudawy, A. M. A. (2025). Exploring EFL learners’ perceptions on the use of AI-powered conversational tools to improve speaking fluency: a case study at Majmaah University. Forum Linguist. Stud, 7.
Munir, B., Sulaiman, U., Rasyid, M. N. A., & Afiif, A. (2025). EFL Student's Experiences with AI Chatbots: A Critical Discourse Analysis. Langkawi: Journal of The Association for Arabic and English, 11(1), 177-189.
Nguyen, H. A. (2024). Harnessing AI-based tools for enhancing English speaking proficiency: Impacts, challenges, and long-term engagement. International Journal of AI in Language Education, 1(2), 18-29.
Pangestu, H. P., & Suwartono, T. (2024). Exploring the Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Support in Assisting Students’ English-Speaking Skills. Educalitra: English Education, Linguistics, and Literature Journal, 3(2), 134-147.
Safar, M., & Anggraheni, D. (2024). Language Learning through AI Chatbots: Effectiveness and Cognitive Load Analysis. Journal of Social Science Utilizing Technology, 2(3), 430-445.
Safitri, E. I., Hidayati, S., & Ciptaningrum, D. S. (2025). The impact of AI chatbots on English language learners’ speaking proficiency: A systematic review. Journal of Research on English and Language Learning (J-REaLL), 6(2), 317-329.
Setyoningrum, T. Y., Nugroho, D. A., & Setiaji, A. (2025). Impacting artificial intelligent chatbot in flipped classroom to enhance students’speaking competence. Applied Research on English Education (AREE), 3(1), 8-25.
Shikun, S., Grigoryan, G., Huichun, N., & Harutyunyan, H. (2024). AI chatbots: Developing English language proficiency in EFL classroom. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Special Issue on ChatGPT.
Singh, A. K., & Singh, N. (2024). AI chatbots as speaking partners: Boosting oral proficiency and confidence. Journal of Computational Analysis and Applications, 33(8), 6259–6268.
Wang, T., Lund, B. D., Marengo, A., Pagano, A., Mannuru, N. R., Teel, Z. A., & Pange, J. (2023). Exploring the potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on international students in higher education: Generative AI, chatbots, analytics, and international student success. Applied Sciences, 13(11), 6716.
Yeti̇şensoy, O., & Karaduman, H. (2024). The effect of AI-powered chatbots in social studies education. Education and Information Technologies, 29(13), 17035-17069.
Žáková, K., Urbano, D., Cruz-Correia, R., Guzmán, J. L., & Matišák, J. (2025). Exploring student and teacher perspectives on ChatGPT’s impact in higher education. Education and Information Technologies, 30(1), 649-692.
Zou, B., Guan, X., Shao, Y., & Chen, P. (2023). Supporting speaking practice by social network-based interaction in artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted language learning. Sustainability, 15(4), 2872.
