| 英文摘要 |
With the rapid development of generative artificial intelligence and large language models, technology-enhanced language learning has shifted from one-way practice toward highly interactive dialogic learning. In this context, using artificial intelligence as a learning companion to engage students in “book talk” activities has become an important strategy for promoting students’ oral expression and reading reflection. However, the differences between AI learning companions and human teachers in their dialogic guidance characteristics, as well as their influences on students’ cognitive processes, remain underexplored. This study adopts Chin’s framework of questioning based discourse to compare the differences between the two in terms of interaction structure, feedback strategies, and students’ cognitive levels. The participants were 37 upper-grade elementary school students who took part in a four-month empirical study. The findings reveal two major results. First, in terms of interaction and feedback strategies, the AI companion demonstrated highly structured characteristics. It tended to use “affirmation with direct instruction” and a “feedback-questioning (F-I)” cycle, providing stable language scaffolding, maintaining conversational fluency, and creating a low-pressure dialogic environment. In contrast, human teachers preferred heuristic guidance and focused questioning, showing greater instructional flexibility. Second, regarding students’ cognitive performance, although the AI companion helped enhance students’ pragmatic complexity and participation motivation, students tended to remain at basic cognitive levels. Human teachers, despite lower interaction frequency, were more capable of stimulating students’ higher-order critical thinking, such as inference and evaluation. Based on these findings, this study proposes a human-AI collaborative language teaching model. It suggests positioning AI companions as practice partners for language fluency and basic concept development, while human teachers focus on guiding deep cognition and critical thinking. |