Chatbot’s Complementary Motivation Support in Developing Study Plan of E-Learning English Lecture

Abstract

The present study investigates the effects of a chatbot’s motivation support style on the learner’s experience and intention to continue the study in the context of online English lectures. Seventy-nine undergraduate students were recruited from a large private university in Seoul, South Korea, and assigned to one of three learning plan development groups: develop a plan alone, autonomy support (i.e., a chatbot stimulating intrinsic motivation), or control support (i.e., a chatbot promoting extrinsic motivation) groups. The learners were classified into two groups based on their learning motivation types (i.e., intrinsic and extrinsic), and by doing so, the present study created a chatbot’s matched and non-matched motivation support conditions in learning plan development. The two support strategies were compared with a control condition (i.e., learners’ own plan making), and the results suggest that a chatbot with a non-matched motivation strategy increases learner self-efficacy, enjoyment, and intention to continue using the lecture. Furthermore, the study also explores the moderation effect of learning motivation types, and reveals that a chatbot’s control support significantly improves the learning experience. The present study provides new insight into improving user evaluation by strategically differentiating a chatbot’s conversational style and a user’s characteristics.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This paper was supported by Sungkyun Research Fund, Sungkyunkwan University, 2021.

Notes on contributors

Kyungjin Ryong

Kyungjin Ryong received a master’s degree at the Department of Applied Artificial Intelligence, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, South Korea. Her research interests are user-centered ICT & AI services.

Daeho Lee

Daeho Lee is an associate professor at the Department of Interaction Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Korea. His research interests include the adoption of new ICT products & services, government policies in the area of ICT, and consumer behavior in online.

Jae-gil Lee

Jae-gil Lee is an assistant professor in the Media School at Hallym University, South Korea. His research focuses on developing user-friendly interfaces for the latest AI & media technologies.