The Impact of AI Speaking Companion Tools on Speaking Anxiety Among Undergraduate Non-English Majors

Wantong Li

doi:10.6918/IJOSSER.202604_9(4).0019

Authors

Wantong Li

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6918/IJOSSER.202604_9(4).0019

Keywords:

English speaking anxiety, AI speaking practice tool, second language acquisition, educational strategies

Abstract

Amid the growing prevalence of English worldwide, the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has significantly transformed the field of English learning. However, the wide variety of AI tools, coupled with the absence of reasonable, unified, and standardized criteria, has led to considerable anxiety among college students in their English learning process under such a disorganized influence of AI. Against this backdrop, this study adopts the AI speaking practice tool Sky Lingo for experimental intervention. A total of 36 eligible participants were recruited and selected to take part in a nine-day experiment, during which they used the “just chat” mode of the AI tool for at least 20 minutes of speaking practice each day. Data were analyzed in SPSS using data preprocessing, normality tests, paired-samples t-tests, and correlation analysis. The results indicate a significant difference in participants’ speaking anxiety scores before and after the intervention (t = 15.447, P < 0.001), with anxiety levels markedly decreasing. This tool aligns with the core tenets of Krashen’s Affective Filter Hypothesis, effectively alleviating fear of negative evaluation and communication apprehension by lowering the affective filter and avoiding interpersonal evaluation pressure. It should be noted that the participants in this study were limited to a specific College English Test Band 4 (CET-4) score range and had a moderate sample size; thus, the generalizability of the findings requires further validation with larger, more diverse samples. This research confirms the practical effectiveness of the AI speaking practice tool Sky Lingo in reducing English speaking anxiety, offering practical insights for integrating AI technology into college English speaking instruction, supporting teaching optimization and students’ speaking proficiency improvement, and providing a foundation for future practical exploration.

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