INTEGRARE L’INTELLIGENZA ARTIFICIALE NELL’EDUCAZIONE LINGUISTICA: UNO STUDIO DI CASO CON CHATGPT PER LO SVILUPPO DELLE ABILITÀ DI SCRITTURA

Integrating Artificial Intelligence into language education: a case study with chatgpt for the development of writing skills Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming our world, thus affecting also language education (LE). Numerous studies have explored AI’s potential in education. It is essential to examine the relationship between technology and LE from a historical perspective to navigate these changes. At the University of Parma, a research project was launched to explore how AI can be integrated into LE under the guidance of human instructors. Its two main goals were: first, to observe the interactions between AI, teachers and students during a training programme that utilized chatGPT to enhance argumentative writing skills; second, to improve students’ academic writing abilities. The study involving 95 high-school students was structured as follows: an initial pre-test, a training phase on argumentative writing, and a concluding post-test where students produced argumentative texts. Additionally, students’ engagement was assessed through a motivational questionnaire. The findings offer valuable insights into the effective integration of AI in language education, highlighting its potential to enhance both teaching practices and student learning outcomes.