Middle School Multilingual Learners and AI Chatbots: Navigating Comparison/Contrast Writing

• In Event: Student Learning, AI, and Digital Tools

Abstract

Advancements in generative AI chatbots offer new opportunities for enhancing writing instruction for Multilingual Learners (MLs). Grounded in genre-based pedagogy, this study explores how middle school Spanish-speaking MLs use AI chatbots to write comparison/contrast essays in an after-school program. Data from pre- and post-writing samples, chat histories, interviews, and self-efficacy surveys show AI improves text structure and syntax. However, MLs’ limited literacy and AI prompt skills constrain interactions, underscoring the need for targeted instruction to optimize AI’s role in writing pedagogy.

Authors

• Ying Zhang, Robert Morris University

• Xiaojun Chen, St. John's University