The Future of Education

Speaking anxiety is a well-known barrier in foreign language learning, often inhibiting students from practicing oral communication. This paper introduces a mobile application that enables learners to practice conversation with an AI partner in a low-pressure, self-paced environment. By offering immediate, judgment-free interaction, the AI conversational agent helps reduce the fear of speaking and lowers language anxiety, as recent studies have shown that technology-enhanced practice can alleviate learners’ speaking anxiety and boost their confidence in using the language (Chen, 2022). The approach is particularly beneficial for beginners in the early stages of language acquisition who may otherwise shy away from real-life conversation. The application’s design is informed by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and its “Can-Do” statements, encouraging learners to engage in self-assessment and set personalized learning goals (Council of Europe, 2020). Aligning practice tasks with CEFR descriptors not only provides clear, attainable objectives but also fosters learner autonomy and motivation through goal-oriented progress tracking. As described by Kacetl and Klímová (2019), mobile learning platforms can enhance students’ autonomy and confidence by providing personalized practice opportunities, and our AI-driven app builds on these strengths. Similarly, a recent systematic review highlights that AI chatbots can create engaging conversational practice without social pressure, leading to improvements in speaking performance and learner engagement (Du & Daniel, 2024). By integrating CEFR-based can-do goals with an adaptive AI conversation partner, the proposed solution supports self-directed learning and helps learners overcome the psychological barriers to speaking. This innovative approach demonstrates the potential of conversational AI to complement language instruction, providing learners with accessible, anxiety-reducing speaking practice that enhances their communicative competence.