Chatbots and ELT

Chatbots as Conversational Partners in the EFL/ESL Context

By Janpha Thadphoothon

As the demand for English instruction, globally, continues to rise, the supply of English teachers, especially native speakers, is not enough to meet such the increasing demand. What seems to be obvious is that there are simply not enough native English speakers in supply to meet the demand for English learners around the world. Moreover, the cost of hiring experienced native speakers is often too high; many underfunded schools simply cannot afford to hire them. Thousands of Thai students, for example, lack the opportunity to converse with native speakers of English or non-native users of English. Computer technologies in various forms have been applied to assist language instruction, and the results have been positive. One of the recent developments is the use of programmed computers to interact verbally with humans. Computers, thus, function as conversational partners or chatbots providing sensible responses to inputs from humans. This paper aims to explore the current chatbot technologies (computer-screens and humanoids) and research studies in the ESL/EFL context. It will also investigate how chatbots have been used in the ESL/EFL context and their potentials in the realm of EFL/ESL.

Biodata

Janpha Thadphootho is an EFL/ESL instructor at the English Department of Dhurakijpundit University, Bangkok. B.A. (Education - First-Class Honors) He graduated from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, with a B.A. in Education and from Thammasat University in 2000 with an M.A. in Industrial & Organizational Psychology. He also received an Advanced Certificate in TEFL (Distance Education) from SEAMEO Regional Language Center, Singapore. He holds an Ed D in TESOL from the University of Canberra, Australia. His research interests include cooperative learning, creative writing, Englishes in ASEAN context, and recently, the use of computer technologies to support English language learning.