Exploring the Role of AI-Mediated Education in Underprivileged EFL Students' Achievement Emotions: A Longitudinal Experimental Study


YAR S., SABZEHPARVAR A.

JOURNAL OF EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS PLACED AT RISK, 2025 (ESCI, Scopus) identifier identifier

Abstract

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in second language (L2) education has been associated with a range of emotional consequences. However, students' emotions experienced during AI-mediated education in underprivileged areas have received inadequate attention from researchers. To address this gap, the present study adopted a longitudinal experimental design to discover the impact of AI adoption on underprivileged EFL students' achievement emotions over two semesters. A sample including 120 students was divided into control (n = 60) and experimental (n = 60) groups. They completed a questionnaire on achievement emotions in two periods over a course supported by AI bots and chatbots. The results of ANCOVA indicated that AI-mediated L2 education had significantly reduced EFL students' negative achievement emotions but increased their positive emotions. The study highlights the role of emotions in AI-mediated education and calls for further technical and emotional support from educators and policymakers in underprivileged contexts. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.