Artificial intelligence as a tutor

A scoping literature review

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly increased in educational settings. Gen AI pedagogical approaches are the next major focus in the field. This scoping literature review aims to understand the implementation and effects of AI in English as a second language (ESL) classes. This review is supported by the underpinnings of communicative language teaching (CLT) and zone of proximal development (ZPD) theories. In this review, 20 empirical studies are examined to understand the extent to which AI can serve as a native-like tutor for ESL students. The findings show the effectiveness of AI in providing personalized feedback and authentic language exposure and fulfilling the need for a conversational partner/tutor for ESL students. AI is still an exploratory tool; thus, the review ends with ethical considerations for using AI in language classes, along with some future pedagogical links.