AI‐Supported Socratic Dialogue Agents vs. Generic AI Chatbots for Intermediate EFL Learners’ Critical Thinking, Epistemic Beliefs, and Argumentation
Mixed‐Methods Evidence
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22416396 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ehsan Namaziandost (0000-0002-8393-2537, Independent Researcher Ahvaz Iran), Mark Feng Teng (0000-0002-5134-8504, Faculty of Languages and Translation, Macao Polytechnic University Macau SAR China) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-22 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Applied Linguistics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0802-6106 • E-ISSN: 1473-4192 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/ijal.70268 |
| OpenAlex | W7165521549 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 55 |
This mixed‐methods, quasi‐experimental study investigated the impact of artificial intelligence (AI)‐supported Socratic Dialogue Agents (SDAs) on critical thinking, epistemic beliefs, and argumentation skills among intermediate English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. Ninety male intermediate EFL learners from Iranian language institutes were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (a) an AI‐Socratic dialogue agent group, (b) a generic AI chatbot group, or (c) a no‐AI control group. Quantitative data were collected through validated instruments before and after the intervention and then analyzed using mixed‐design analyses of variance (ANOVAs). To complement these results, qualitative data from post‐intervention focus groups (five participants per group) were examined through thematic analysis to elicit perceptions and through content‐structural analysis to examine real‐time English interactions. The quantitative findings indicated that the AI‐Socratic group achieved notably greater gains in critical thinking, epistemic beliefs, and argumentation skills than the generic AI and control groups, while the qualitative findings helped to account for these outcomes by foregrounding greater cognitive challenge, an enhanced understanding of knowledge, the cultivation of advanced argumentation strategies, and sustained motivational engagement within the AI‐Socratic condition; taken together, the findings carry theoretical implications in suggesting that AI‐supported Socratic dialogue can embody principles of constructivist and epistemic scaffolding.
Argumentation theory · Chatbot · Focus group · Foregrounding · Qualitative property · Socratic method · Thematic analysis · AI in Service Interactions · Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and Education · Innovative Teaching and Learning Methods
The Uses of Argument
Argumentation for Learning
Critical thinking in the AI era
Vision, challenges, roles and research issues of Artificial Intelligence in Education
The Development of Epistemological Theories
Student Thought and Classroom Language
ChatGPT for Language Teaching and Learning
A systematic review of AI literacy conceptualization, constructs, and implementation and assessment efforts (2019–2023)
A framework to analyze argumentative knowledge construction in computer-supported collaborative learning
Implementation of an AI chatbot as an English conversation partner in EFL speaking classes
The Origins of the Socratic Dialogue
Challenges and Opportunities of Generative AI for Higher Education as Explained by ChatGPT
A review of chatbot-assisted learning
Investigating the effects of an LLM-based Socratic conversational agent on students’ academic performance and reflective thinking in higher education
The effects of generative AI agents and scaffolding on enhancing students’ comprehension of visual learning analytics
A self-determination theory approach to teacher digital competence development
Enhancing blended learning discussions with a Scaffolded Knowledge Integration–Based ChatGPT mobile instant messaging system
The synergistic effects in an AI-supported online scientific argumentation learning environment
Artificial intelligence for teaching and learning in schools
How students view online knowledge
Emotionally enriched AI-generated feedback
Enhance adult students' online knowledge construction
Effects of an annotation‐supported Socratic questioning approach on students' argumentative writing performance and critical thinking skills in flipped language classrooms
Dual-process theories and cognitive development
Beyond Linguistic Proficiency
Using generative artificial intelligence/ChatGPT for academic communication
Metacognitive Awareness and EFL Learners' Writing Performance in ChatGPT‐Assisted Writing Context
The Socratic Dialogue and teacher education
Using thematic analysis in psychology
Routledge Philosophy GuideBook to Plato and the Trial of Socrates
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |