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RESEARCH NEWS .

ChatGPT language learning

Friend or foe? ChatGPT as a language teaching assistant.

By Gillian Ragsdale
The new generation chatbot, A further concern is that
ChatGPT, can be a valuable aid to ChatGPT is currently unable
language learning. However, there to provide reliable sources or
are major issues to be aware of citations and it is not clear how
and challenges to both students’ much of the output is paraphrased
and teachers’ digital competence, without being cited.
as outlined in a review by Lucas Unfortunately, ChatGPT’s
Kohnke and colleagues from the responses to questions are not
University of Hong Kong and always accurate and sometimes
Hong Kong Baptist University. plain wrong; this can include
The first chatbot imitating explanations for grammatical use.
human conversation, ELIZA, was The review gives an example of
developed in 1966 but more recent ChatGPT distinguishing between
developments in computing power, the use of “house” and “a house”
natural language processing and in the sentence “I want a house
machine learning have led to the by the sea.” Although ChatGPT
rapid development of increasingly accurately changes “house” to “a
intelligent bots. Enter ChatGPT, house” its explanation is “wordy,
first released in November 2022, repetitive, and inaccurate.”
attracting a million users in ChatGPT tends to sound very
just 5 days and currently over sure of itself, but students must be
100 million. encouraged to fact check answers.
For language students, ChatGPT Undoubtedly, however, this
is tireless, endlessly patient and AI genie is well and truly out
available anytime. Anxious or shy of the bottle. Teachers need to
students can feel more relaxed move fast to incorporate the use
working with an AI partner, of ChatGPT into the language
especially in speaking practice. learning process in ways that draw
Since it draws on an English corpus on its strengths and minimises the
it is well-placed to support English drawbacks.
language learning although this Teachers can use ChatGPT
can also lead to cultural bias in as an assistant in the classroom,
content. demonstrating how to interact
ChatGPT can answer queries on effectively using questions and
grammar and vocabulary, including prompts, and how to manage and
words in the context of any given respond to issues around accuracy
text. It can go much further than a of content, sources and cultural
simple dictionary answer, providing bias. Rather than avoiding the
a fuller explanation with follow-up issues, teachers can plan tasks
examples and answering further that use ChatGPT.
queries. It can also answer queries ChatGPT can also be used
in the student’s first language if their English, such as asking examples of complex sentence by both students and teachers
preferred. to have a conversation, draft a structures commonly used in to create specific plans; for
ChatGPT can alter the short story or produce a short IELTS writing Band 8?” example, “Can you create a
proficiency level of language presentation about a topic. To For teachers, ChatGPT can vocabulary-building plan for me
samples, add in regional dialects, improve grammar, the student produce an inexhaustible range if I want to improve my nursing
and prepare samples in various could ask for a text to be written of materials, such as quizzes and English.” Teachers might be
styles, such as dialogue, a business in the past tense or the passive reading comprehension questions, especially interested in asking
email or a recipe. It can also voice with explanations of use, or open-ended or multiple-choice ChatGPT to help prepare for
annotate, simplify or translate for mistakes in the student’s text questions, all catered to specific a job interview, for example by
texts. It can switch between styles to be explained. proficiency levels. suggesting common questions,
and genres, as in the example ChatGPT can also be used A major concern for teachers, role-playing the interview and
given of a student who asked it to improve pronunciation; for however, is the use of ChatGPT making suggestions for improving
to write an advertisement for example “Can you explain when to cheat on assessments. Moves performance, such as making a
an electric company, an email intonation rises and falls when to develop digital tools to spot response “more persuasive.”
advising a friend on how to save speaking English?” AI-generated text, such as
electricity, or a conversation Specific exams can also be upgrades to Turnitin, are unlikely REFERENCE
about rising electricity prices. targeted, such as requesting to keep pace with developing n Kohnke, L., Moorhouse, B. L. and
The review appendix gives sample writing prompts for the AI. Consequently, many courses Zou, D. (2023) ChatGPT for Language
further examples of prompts TOEFL exam and even more are moving back to invigilated Teaching and Learning. RELC, 1-14
students might use to practice specifically; “Can you provide exams. DOI: 10.1177/00336882231162868
8 July 2023