The Effects of AI Tools, Self-Efficacy, and Speaking Anxiety on English Speaking Performance Among TEFL Undergraduate Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53103/cjlls.v6i6.317Keywords:
AI Tools, Communicative Competence, English Speaking Performance, Self-Efficacy, Speaking Anxiety, TEFL UndergraduatesAbstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the direct and indirect effects of AI tool use, speaking self-efficacy, foreign language speaking anxiety, and English speaking performance among Cambodian Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) undergraduates. Guided by Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory and Krashen's Affective Filter Hypothesis, a cross-sectional predictive and mediational survey design was employed with 129 TEFL pre-service teachers from university campuses in Battambang and Banteay Meanchey. A 45-item questionnaire measuring four constructs (AI tool use, speaking self-efficacy, foreign language speaking anxiety, and English speaking performance) on a four-point Likert scale was used to collect data. The descriptive results showed moderate-to-high levels of AI tool use (M = 2.86), speaking self-efficacy (M = 2.83), speaking anxiety (M = 2.71), and self-perceived speaking performance (M = 2.80). AI tool use was positively associated with speaking performance (r = .248, p < .01), self-efficacy (r = .343, p < .001), and anxiety (r = .384, p < .001); self-efficacy was highly correlated with speaking performance (r = .735, p < .001). AI tool use was a significant predictor of performance after controlling for the other predictors (R² = .541, β = .729, p < .001), but only self-efficacy was a direct predictor. Mediation analysis supported an indirect relationship between AI tool use and performance through self-efficacy (B = 0.209, SE = 0.054, Sobel z = 3.866, p < .001). The findings suggest that AI tools may enhance speaking performance through self-efficacy, rather than independently, and highlight the need for confidence-building activities when integrating AI into TEFL curricula. The cross-sectional, self-report design, however, limits causal interpretation.
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