Exploring GenAI Chatbot Use for L2 Learning: A Mixed-Methods Study of Foundation-Year Students in Oman

Abstract

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) chatbots have increasingly become part of many university students' English as a second language (L2) learning. However, little is known about how students in general foundation programmes use them during the move from Arabic-medium schooling to English-medium higher education. This sequential explanatory mixed-methods study examined GenAI chatbot use among foundation-year students at a private university in Oman. A questionnaire (N = 262) covered usage patterns, perceived usefulness for L2 skills, AI output verification practices, challenges and support needs, and was followed by two focus groups (n = 15). Results showed that ChatGPT was the dominant tool (91.2%) that students accessed mainly by smartphone (80.5%). The most common frequency was "sometimes" (47.3%), while 42.4% of respondents reported using chatbots "always" or "often". Most students (57.6%) switched between English and Arabic while interacting with GenAI chatbots. Students rated chatbots as clearly useful for writing, speaking and reading, but not for listening. They also valued grammar and vocabulary corrections by chatbots more than their feedback on writing or speaking assignments. More than two-thirds of respondents preferred teacher feedback on their writing (72.9%). The most frequently reported challenges were incorrect information (43.5%) and unclear responses (35.1%), while the most common verification strategy of generated content was asking a teacher (46.2%). Focus-group participants described purpose-driven but largely unplanned prompting, translation-mediated comprehension, concern about overreliance, inconsistent teacher stances, and a need for classroom-embedded guidance. Chatbot use for L2 learning among foundation-year students can be interpreted as a tool-mediated activity largely outside formal L2 instructional design, with teachers as epistemic anchors. The study recommends early, skill-specific, teacher-mediated AI literacy instruction in foundation programmes.