Using AI for Students' Attitudes to Improve their Speaking Skills at a University

Linguistic proficiency is one of the prerequisites for metacognition in the linguistic background of students majoring in English at the university level. However, most of them do not meet these curricular requirements because they lack an "environment that supports practice," and high technology is considered a "life jacket" for this problem. The aim of this study is to investigate the attitudes of university students towards the effectiveness of artificial intelligence (AI)-based websites and applications to promote the improvement of speaking skills. There are both positive aspects, such as increasing engagement, and potential drawbacks to the technology itself. In this paper, we argue that this kind of case study contributes to elucidating the situation of speaking training in higher education through the provision of qualitative information through a semi-structured questionnaire. One hundred and eighty-eight second-year English students participated in a six-week experiment with carefully crafted guidelines for the use of two AI-based websites (apps): Smalltalk2.me and VoiceTube.com. Afterward, a survey was administered to explore learners' perceptions and engagement during the period. Data analysis showed that students showed some preference for incorporating AI technology into their English-speaking exercises, but the current generation of AI apps also has some limitations. The results contribute to a deeper understanding of how students view English education through the integration of AI technology and its potential impact on their overall speaking skills. This knowledge can help educators integrate effective technological tools into speaking instruction to create a positive learning environment and promote speaking development.