Volume 30 Number 2, Special Issue: Emotional CALL Dynamicity of EFL learners’ emotions and WTC in Human-AI interactions

Dynamicity of EFL learners’ emotions and WTC in Human-AI interactions

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May 30, 2026, 10:16 a.m.
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June 1, 2026, 9:51 p.m.
access-status:
open.access
bitstream:
[['https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstreams/8fb57803-8124-404e-a95f-3695118d2a5c/download', '30_02_10125-73682-v3.pdf']]
bitstream_txt:
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collection:
Volume 30 Number 2, Special Issue: Emotional CALL
contributor.author:
Cheng, Qian Chen, Xiuwen Luo, Yiyang Wang, Hao
contributor.editor:
Kruk, Mariusz Pawlak, Mirosław
date.accessioned:
2026-05-29T23:03:56Z
date.available:
2026-05-29T23:03:56Z
date.issued:
2026-06-01
description.abstract:
This study investigates dynamic fluctuations in willingness to communicate (WTC) and emotional states among six Chinese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners during interactions with Replika, an AI-powered chatbot. Using an idiodynamic method and stimulated recall interviews, the study provides a granular understanding of WTC and emotional dynamics. Participants exhibited a range of emotional states, including epistemic and retrospective emotions, which were intermittently elicited by moment-to-moment interactional events. Fluctuations were induced by various factors, including anthropomorphism, conversational responsiveness, perceived naturalness of interaction, and learners’ perceptions of Replika as either a conversational companion or a tool for language practice. Finally, this study proposes expectation appraisal as a key mediating mechanism between interactional factors, emotional states, and WTC. Learners’ expectations constituted a significant factor influencing emotional outcomes and ongoing WTC. These findings are discussed with reference to the L2 WTC pyramid model, emphasizing the interplay between emotions and communicative behaviors in AI-mediated language-learning environments.
endingpage:
110
format.extent:
30 pages
identifier.citation:
Cheng, Q., Chen, X., Luo, Y., and Wang, H. (2026). Dynamicity of EFL learners’ emotions and WTC in Human-AI interactions. Language Learning & Technology, 30(2), 81–110. https://doi.org/10.64152/10125/73682
identifier.doi:
https://doi.org/10.64152/10125/73682
identifier.issn:
1094-3501
identifier.uri:
https://hdl.handle.net/10125/73682
number:
2
publicationname:
Language Learning & Technology
publisher:
University of Hawaii National Foreign Language Resource Center Center for Language & Technology
rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License
rights.uri:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
site_url:
/item/10125-73682/
startingpage:
81
subject:
willingness to communicate language learning emotions human-AI interaction (HAII) idiodynamics
title:
Dynamicity of EFL learners’ emotions and WTC in Human-AI interactions
type:
Article
volume:
30