A Systematic Review of Voice-based Intelligent Virtual Agents in EFL Education

Since its debut in the field of education nearly three decades ago, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been considered as a powerful tool to facilitate new paradigms for instructional design and innovative educational practice form intelligent tutoring systems, chatbots, teaching robots adaptive learning systems among others. Recent technological advances adjacent areas natural language processing, machine computer graphics focusing primarily on features that can improve their human-like qualities naturalness believability human interlocutors have also amplified application opportunities Intelligent Virtual Agents (IVAs) or Animated Pedagogical (APAs) within area Computer-Assisted Language Learning (ICALL). Although AI-powered IVAs hold potential enhance process any knowledge domain personalize automation by embodying different roles environment, strikingly few studies empirically attempted assess impact L2 learners’ academic achievement when English Foreign (EFL) so far. This study addresses this issue via systematic review relevant interventionist IVA were conducted EFL settings published 2015-2020 timeframe examining key affordances, major barriers adoption purposes, CALL research trends currently prevalent topic. implications effective implementation technology contexts are discussed future avenues highlighted.