The Effect of AI Chatbot-Enhanced Instruction on Iranian EFL Learners’ Intercultural Communicative Competence: A Quasi-Experimental Study of the Triple Needs Framework

Badpa, Hamed; Dowlatabadi, Hamid Reza

doi:10.22034/ijpie.2026.605531.1264

The Effect of AI Chatbot-Enhanced Instruction on Iranian EFL Learners’ Intercultural Communicative Competence: A Quasi-Experimental Study of the Triple Needs Framework

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Hamed Badpa ¹

Hamid Reza Dowlatabadi ²

¹ PhD Candidate in TEFL, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of literature and Languages, Arak University, Arak, Iran

² Assistant Professor in Applied Linguistics, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature and Languages, Arak University, Arak, Iran

10.22034/ijpie.2026.605531.1264

Abstract

This quasi-experimental study examined the impact of AI chatbot instruction on Iranian EFL students' intercultural communicative competence (ICC) within the framework of the Triple Needs Framework (Ghorbani & Dowlatabadi, 2023). One hundred and twenty upper-intermediate EFL students at Arak Medical Sciences University were divided into an experimental group (n = 60) and a control group (n = 60). The experimental group was taught using an AI chatbot, while the control group received instruction as usual for ten two-hour sessions. The Technology-Enhanced ICC Questionnaire (explanatory and confirmatory factor analysis) was administered as a pre-test and post-test. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) of pre-post scores revealed that the experimental group was significantly higher than the control group on all needs, including linguistic needs, cultural needs, and digital integration needs. The largest effect size was found for cultural needs, followed by overall ICC needs. This study provides evidence for the efficacy of employing an AI chatbot as an educational tool for enhancing the ICC of Iranian EFL learners. The findings have implications for understanding the mechanisms of learning ICC through technology and suggest that the Triple Needs Framework can be used as an instructional theory. The study also adds to the growing literature on the use of chatbots in EFL classrooms, which is limited in contexts.

Keywords

AI chatbot

Intercultural Communicative Competence

Iranian EFL learners

Quasi-Experimental Study

Triple Needs Framework

Subjects