A Framework and Practical Insights: Task Engagement Facilitators and AI Affordances

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) in education offers innovative ways to enhance teaching plans and promote learning opportunities, particularly in English as a Foreign Language contexts. Despite the widespread use of technological tools, many educators struggle to apply them effectively, often leading to student disengagement. This chapter explores how AI affordances can strengthen task engagement (TE) facilitators, as proposed by Egbert et al. (2021), and provides practical strategies to create more engaging learning environments. TE encompasses students’ involvement, interest, and motivation during classroom tasks and is supported by facilitators such as authenticity, social interaction, support, interest, autonomy, and challenge-skills balance. AI tools can provide personalized learning, adaptive feedback, and opportunities for authentic communication that align with these facilitators. This chapter also discusses practical teaching applications, including chatbots for real-life conversations, AI-driven differentiated instruction, and tools to enhance social interaction and feedback. While AI offers significant potential, the chapter acknowledges challenges such as teacher training and the importance of balancing AI use with human interaction. By integrating AI affordances with TE facilitators, educators can create dynamic, personalized, and effective learning experiences that improve language proficiency and student motivation.