Integrating an educational chatbot in an undergraduate-level linguistics course: Cognitive load and student engagement
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Tarih
2026
Yazarlar
Dergi Başlığı
Dergi ISSN
Cilt Başlığı
Yayıncı
Elsevier Sci Ltd
Erişim Hakkı
info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess
Özet
Artificial intelligence in education increasingly leverages chatbots to provide on-demand support across diverse academic contexts. This study examined a curriculum-aligned chatbot in Structure of English, a first-year ELT course, focusing on student engagement and endline cognitive load through a Cognitive Load Theory lens. The design was an embedded single-case study with three units of analysis: behavioral engagement, affective engagement, and endline cognitive load. Participants were first-year ELT majors at a public university. Instruments included interaction logs, per-interaction satisfaction ratings (1-5), the 10-item Leppink Cognitive Load Scale (alpha = 0.849), and two open-ended questions on effectiveness, limitations, and improvement. Results showed that students submitted 6010 prompts ranging from 1 to 332 words (similar to 1-2236 characters), indicating both quick checks and multi-sentence inquiries. Weekly chatbot use tracked the assessment calendar: after a quiet start, it stabilized (approximate to 250-500 queries/week) before the midterm, declined post-midterm, and surged sharply before the final (approximate to 2500), indicating that exam timing strongly shaped behavioral engagement. Mean satisfaction was 4.28/5. Perceived usefulness emphasized independent learning (anytime/anywhere clarification), syllabus-aligned explanations, and better usability than the coursebook. Limitations included typo sensitivity, coverage gaps, and occasional irrelevant or repetitive replies. Endline cognitive load scores were IL = 6.01 (high), EL = 3.64 (low to moderate), and GL = 5.89 (medium). In conclusion, a course-aligned, outside-class chatbot was associated with frequent, varied engagement and positive perceptions, while yielding a CL profile typical of dense, abstract content-high IL, low to moderate EL, and medium GL.
Açıklama
Anahtar Kelimeler
Chatbot, Cognitive load theory, Linguistics course, Learning engagement, Pre-service EFL teachers
Kaynak
Thinking Skills and Creativity
WoS Q Değeri
Q1
Scopus Q Değeri
Q1
Cilt
60
