ChatBack: Investigating Methods of Providing Grammatical Error Feedback in a GUI-based Language Learning Chatbot

Kai-Hui Liang, Sam Davidson, Xun Yuan, Shehan Panditharatne, Chun-Yen Chen, Ryan Shea, Derek Pham, Yinghua Tan, Erik Voss, Luke Fryer


Abstract
The increasing use of AI chatbots as conversation partners for second-language learners highlights the importance of providing effective feedback. To ensure a successful learning experience, it is essential for researchers and practitioners to understand the optimal timing, methods of delivery, and types of feedback that are most beneficial to learners. Synchronous grammar corrective feedback (CF) has been shown to be more effective than asynchronous methods in online writing tasks. Additionally, self-correction by language learners has proven more beneficial than teacher-provided correction, particularly for spoken language skills and non-novice learners. However, existing language-learning AI chatbots often lack synchronous CF and self-correction capabilities. To address this, we propose a synchronous conversational corrective feedback (CCF) method, which allows self-correction and provides metalinguistic explanations (ME). Our study suggests that in chatbot-driven language-learning tools, corrective feedback is more effectively delivered through means other than the social chatbot, such as a GUI interface. Furthermore, we found that guided self-correction offers a superior learning experience compared to providing explicit corrections, particularly for learners with high learning motivation or lower linguistic ability.
Anthology ID:
2023.bea-1.7
Volume:
Proceedings of the 18th Workshop on Innovative Use of NLP for Building Educational Applications (BEA 2023)
Month:
July
Year:
2023
Address:
Toronto, Canada
Editors:
Ekaterina Kochmar, Jill Burstein, Andrea Horbach, Ronja Laarmann-Quante, Nitin Madnani, Anaïs Tack, Victoria Yaneva, Zheng Yuan, Torsten Zesch
Venue:
BEA
SIG:
SIGEDU
Publisher:
Association for Computational Linguistics
Note:
Pages:
83–99
Language:
URL:
https://aclanthology.org/2023.bea-1.7
DOI:
10.18653/v1/2023.bea-1.7
Bibkey:
Cite (ACL):
Kai-Hui Liang, Sam Davidson, Xun Yuan, Shehan Panditharatne, Chun-Yen Chen, Ryan Shea, Derek Pham, Yinghua Tan, Erik Voss, and Luke Fryer. 2023. ChatBack: Investigating Methods of Providing Grammatical Error Feedback in a GUI-based Language Learning Chatbot. In Proceedings of the 18th Workshop on Innovative Use of NLP for Building Educational Applications (BEA 2023), pages 83–99, Toronto, Canada. Association for Computational Linguistics.
Cite (Informal):
ChatBack: Investigating Methods of Providing Grammatical Error Feedback in a GUI-based Language Learning Chatbot (Liang et al., BEA 2023)
Copy Citation:
PDF:
https://aclanthology.org/2023.bea-1.7.pdf