Exploring the Role of AI Technology Adoption in at-Risk Students' Absenteeism and Boredom

Abstract

The influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies in different areas of English as a foreign language (EFL) education has been widely explored in recent years. However, the emotional consequences of adopting such tools in at-risk education have remained underexplored, to date. To address the gap, our study drew on the control-value theory (CVT) to uncover the role of AI adoption in reducing 35 at-risk undergraduate EFL learners’ absenteeism and boredom. The data were collected from online interviews and a narrative frame. Thematic analysis of the data revealed five ways in which AI integration could regulate both constructs of absenteeism and boredom. Particularly, it was found that by ‘offering personalized learning’, ‘increasing classroom engagement’, ‘providing instant and tailored feedback’, ‘diversifying learning materials’, and ‘granting agency and autonomy’, AI tools affected learners’ absenteeism and boredom. These findings suggest that AIbased professional development could empower EFL teachers to more effectively support at-risk learners’ emotional and behavioral needs. The study contributes to our understanding of emotional aspects of AI adoption in educational domains.

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