About This Special Issue

Guest Editors: Mark Warschauer and Ying Xu

The capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI), as well as the global AI industry, are both expanding rapidly. There is thus great interest around the world in the role of AI in education, including its potential to provide greater access, affordability, and personalization. At the same time, there are concerns about the potential negative effects of AI related to privacy, ethics, or dehumanization of the educational enterprise.

Language learning represents a particular growth area for AI. Educators, software companies, and researchers have long explored the role of natural language processing (NLP) in assisting reading or writing development. More recent developments in NLP, and especially those related to speech technologies, have made possible new forms of voice-based computer-assisted language learning (CALL) for the teaching, learning, and assessment of a wide range of language skills. While multimodal AI, such as that involving interpretation of gestures and facial expressions, has thus far been little explored in the field of CALL, it too poses opportunities for supporting language learning.

This special issue seeks to shed light on the current state of AI in language learning, addressing questions that have remained unanswered and those that have emerged alongside developments in the field. We welcome methodologically rigorous empirical studies on any topic related to AI for language learning and assessment, broadly defined. Meta-analyses, research reviews, and highly innovative conceptual papers will also be considered. And while the main focus of the special issue is on second and foreign language learning, papers that address AI for any aspect of language and literacy development will be considered.

Guidelines for Authors

Articles should be no longer than 8,500 words (including references, but not appendices). For specific guidelines, refer to the LLT submission guidelines.

To be considered for this special issue, which will appear in Volume 28, Issue 2 in June 2024, please submit a title and maximum 300-word abstract through this online form by September 1, 2022.

Publication Schedule

For Further Information

Please contact the Managing Editor at llt@hawaii.edu with questions.