Lithuanian University Students’ Opinions on and Experiences of Using AI Tools for Learning English as a Foreign Language

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate Lithuanian university students’ perceptions and experiences of the use of AI-based technologies while studying English as a foreign language (EFL). It examined the advantages and disadvantages the students could identify and reflect on (whether AI has empowered their learning in any way or not). An online questionnaire with open-ended and closed-ended questions was administered to twenty-eight Lithuanian EFL students at a liberal arts university in Lithuania to gather data. It was processed using quantitative and qualitative methods. The findings reveal that the study participants used AI tools for a limited number of purposes and functionalities and were rather sceptical about them with regards to improvement of various English skills and competencies when using them. Just over half of all the study participants felt motivated to use AI tools for English learning to achieve the following practical aims: to save time, get ideas, and improve vocabulary. However, the disadvantages were related to the point of view that AI might not be something to learn or receive information from because of numerous flaws.