Speaker
Description
Generative artificial intelligence offers new possibilities for helping EFL learners move beyond controlled grammar exercises and apply grammatical structures in meaningful communication. However, the pedagogical value of teacher-designed conversational AI for supporting contextualized spoken grammar practice remains underexplored, particularly in Vietnamese language-center settings. This study aims to examine changes in A2-level learners’ accurate and contextually appropriate use of target grammar following teacher-mediated voice role-play activities with a Custom GPT. The study will employ a one-group pretest–posttest design within an explanatory sequential mixed-methods framework. Fifteen learners at a Vietnamese language center will participate in a six-week classroom intervention integrated into their regular English course. The intervention will focus on selected grammar points from four units of Solutions Elementary, the textbook currently used in the learners’ course at the center. The teacher-designed Custom GPT will perform roles in everyday situations, such as meeting a new person, joining a club, shopping, making arrangements, ordering food, and planning an event. During each lesson, the teacher will introduce the target structures and communicative context, demonstrate the role-play, facilitate student–AI interaction, organize follow-up peer practice, and provide corrective feedback. Quantitative data will be collected through comparable pre- and post-intervention oral role-play tasks. Learners’ performance will be assessed in terms of target grammar accuracy, contextual appropriacy, responsiveness, and task achievement. A post-intervention questionnaire will explore learners’ perceptions of the usefulness and challenges of the activities. Quantitative findings will then be followed by semi-structured interviews with selected learners to explain and elaborate on the results. The study is expected to provide practical insights into how teacher-mediated conversational AI can support the transfer of grammar knowledge from textbook-based instruction to meaningful everyday communication.
Keywords: Custom GPT, voice role-play, contextualized grammar, spoken grammar, EFL learners
