Exploring AI as a reading companion: L2 learners' approaches to literary comprehension

Abstract

Generative AI tools are increasingly present in language learning, yet their role in second language (L2) reading remains underexplored. This study investigates how intermediate German learners engaged with ChatGPT during interpretive reading using a three‐condition design with a Grimm fairytale. The study examines the relationship between AI access and reading performance, patterns of use or resistance, and students' ethical and motivational interpretations of AI‐mediated reading. Generative AI emerged as a negotiated presence that learners approached with curiosity, caution, or resistance. Required AI use was associated with reduced differences in comprehension outcomes across proficiency levels, whereas optional use revealed diverse strategic, reluctant, and value‐driven stances rooted in ethical concerns, discipline‐specific norms, and a desire to maintain interpretive autonomy. Students who routinely used AI in other courses engaged more selectively in German, suggesting AI practices may be shaped by disciplinary contexts. The findings support guided, reflective AI integration while valuing learner resistance.