AI Chatbots as a Hypothesis-Testing Ground: Enhancing Oral Accuracy for Chinese EFL Undergraduates Through Task-Based Learning

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-577-5_63How to use a DOI?

Keywords

AI chatbots; oral accuracy; Output Hypothesis; Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT); Chinese EFL undergraduates

Abstract

This review examines the role of AI chatbots in enhancing oral accuracy among Chinese EFL undergraduates from the combined perspectives of the Output Hypothesis and Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT). In Chinese EFL contexts, the development of accurate spoken English is constrained by limited speaking opportunities, high speaking anxiety, and teacher-centered, exam-oriented instruction. Synthesizing empirical and theoretical studies published between 2020 and 2025, the paper conceptualizes AI chatbots as a “hypothesis-testing ground” that supports learners’ formulation, testing, and refinement of linguistic hypotheses through iterative cycles of output, feedback, and modification.

The review identifies three key mechanisms through which chatbot-mediated tasks facilitate oral accuracy development: (1) the creation of low-stakes, non-judgmental environments that reduce anxiety and increase willingness to communicate; (2) the provision of immediate and adaptive feedback that promotes hypothesis revision; and (3) the affordance of sustained and repeatable task-based interaction that is difficult to achieve in large classrooms. The paper also addresses key limitations, including technological constraints, variability in learner affective responses, and limited interactional authenticity.

Based on the synthesis, the review outlines major research gaps and future directions, including micro-level process analyses, systematic evaluation of feedback quality, and longitudinal research in Chinese EFL contexts. Pedagogical implications are discussed with respect to hypothesis-testing-oriented task design, learner metacognition, and blended learning models integrating chatbot-mediated practice with teacher instruction.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Xinyu Fu
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/15
TI  - AI Chatbots as a Hypothesis-Testing Ground: Enhancing Oral Accuracy for Chinese EFL Undergraduates Through Task-Based Learning
BT  - Proceedings of the 2026 5th International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities and Arts (SSHA 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 616
EP  - 624
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-577-5_63
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-577-5_63
ID  - Fu2026
ER  -