Reading with a Chatbot - The added value of Generative AI as a resource in mediating learners in Dynamic Assessment of L2 English reading

This study is part of the DD-Lang project (see Leontjev et al., 2024) aimed at enhancing Finnish upper secondary school students’ reading in English and developing their understanding of their reading processes by bringing together two approaches that support language learning: diagnostic assessment (DiagA) and dynamic assessment (DA). The project designed online reading exercises for English based on retired Matriculation Examination items that implement graduated support (DA based mediation) for learners who struggle to complete the reading tasks. The tasks also include a chatbot that the learners can query when taking the exercises. The study reported here explores how this AI-powered chatbot might complement the standardised mediation accompanying the reading tasks. In the study, five students completed the online reading tasks, received mediation and interacted with the chatbot when needed. Their experiences were then discussed in a group session with their teacher and a researcher. Findings show that the students’ reactions to standardised mediation were varied: while some thought it changed the way they read, others considered it repetitive and quite general. Although limited in scale, this research also suggests that integrating an AI-based chatbot into DA can enhance learners’ reading comprehension processes and inform classroom practices

Chatbot · Dynamic assessment · Mediation · Reading comprehension · Educational and Psychological Assessments · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning · Innovative Teaching and Learning Methods