Artificial Intelligence in Improving the Domain of English Language Learning
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Manal Ali*
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been widely promoted as a transformative force in English language teaching, yet claims about its pedagogical value have often outpaced the available evidence. This paper appraised the methodological strengths and limitations of recent research in this area and identified recurring patterns across that work. A narrative critical review was conducted, in which seven peer-reviewed studies were purposively selected from databases such as Scopus and Google Scholar to represent variation in methodology, systematic review, survey, interview, and bibliometric analysis, and in geographical context. Each study was appraised against its stated aims, design, sample, findings, and acknowledged limitations; PRISMA guidelines were not followed and no standardized appraisal instrument was applied. The studies converged on adaptive feedback and personalized learning as the mechanisms through which AI most plausibly supported language acquisition, and on teacher training as a precondition for adoption. Reported benefits rested largely on self-reported perception data gathered through closed questionnaires. Samples were frequently small and single-site, four of the seven studies were situated in Middle Eastern or Central Asian contexts, and none tracked learners longitudinally or compared outcomes against a control condition. The reviewed literature therefore established the plausibility of AI’s contribution to English language learning rather than confirming its effectiveness, indicating a need for controlled, outcome-based research across more diverse settings.
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