Exploring the role of Artificial Intelligence on Willingness To Communicate (WTC) and Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA): an empirical study among English as a Foreign Language Students

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an increasingly present tool in students’ lives and is engaged in different ways to support language learning. This study is a research project designed to investigate the effects of the use of AI on willingness to communicate and on Foreign Language Anxiety, exploring both positives effects and possible negative implications. A combination of quantitative and qualitative data will be collected by means of a questionnaire conducted among students at the University of Padua. The questionnaire was developed to analyze students’ perception of the AI speaking assistant and the emotions that AI arouses in students practicing speaking, with a focus on willingness to communicate and Foreign Language Anxiety. The findings could provide useful insights into how to make the best use of Artificial Intelligence to improve English oral performance and, thanks to the discovery of its limitations, manage it more effectively in the educational field.