{"title":"Intelligent speaker is watching you: alleviation of L2 learners’ social\u0000 anxiety","authors":"Kotaro Hayashi, Takeshi Sato","doi":"10.14705/rpnet.2020.48.1170","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2020.48.1170","url":null,"abstract":"This study investigates the effectiveness of an Artificial Intelligence\u0000 (AI) speaker as a device used for interactions in a foreign language (L2),\u0000 and a tracking eye installed on the speaker to reduce L2 anxiety. L2 anxiety\u0000 is an urgent issue since the anxiety derived from a fear of being judged,\u0000 being negatively evaluated, or being rejected by others is hindering active\u0000 L2 use. Our study hypothesizes that the question–response functions of the\u0000 AI speakers would encourage L2 learners to input and output a considerable\u0000 amount of L2 without the feeling of anxiety toward the speakers. We then\u0000 asked eight Japanese undergraduates to conduct daily L2 interactions with\u0000 the speakers in their homes for one month. The findings from pre-and\u0000 post-listening tests, questionnaire surveys, and interviews revealed that\u0000 intelligence speakers – Google Home (GH) – could enhance the learners’ L2\u0000 motivations, gave them positive impressions, and helped eradicate their\u0000 anxiety toward L2 interactions.","PeriodicalId":302354,"journal":{"name":"CALL for widening participation: short papers from EUROCALL 2020","volume":"62 5 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-12-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129562324","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}