AI-assisted Reading Instruction and EFL Students’ Reading Comprehension: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Nadira Fadilla, Evi Zulida, Rahmiati Rahmiati


Abstract


As one of the fundamental English skills, reading comprehension often challenging for EFL learners, partly due to ineffective teaching methods. While previous studies have explored the use of ChatGPT in language learning, this study integrates ChatGPT within reciprocal teaching instruction specifically for analytical exposition texts in Indonesian secondary education. This study employed a quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test, involving 37 eleventh-grade students divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group received instruction integrating ChatGPT as an Al-assisted learning tool, while the control group follows conventional methods. Data are collected through reading comprehension tests focusing on analytical exposition texts, and were analyzed using independent sample t-tests, along with effect size calculations. The results indicate a significant improvement in the experimental group post-test scores (mean= 78.11) compared to the control group (mean=67.56). One-way ANCOVA revealed a statistically significant effect of F(1,34)= 8.398, p= 0.007, partial η² = 0.198, indicating a large practical effect with Cohen’s d= 0.85. The reading comprehension indicators, such as identifying relevant information and main ideas, show the greatest improvement among all indicators. In conclusion, AI-assisted learning can be considered an innovative and effective approach to EFL reading instruction, as it enhances students’ reading comprehension particularly in identifying relevant information.

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References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.30743/jol.v8i2.13599

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