TITLE:
A Study on Cultivating College English Learners’ Autonomous Learning Ability Empowered by Artificial Intelligence
AUTHORS:
Sha Yang
KEYWORDS:
Artificial Intelligence, Autonomous Learning, College English, Self-Regulated Learning, Technology-Enhanced Language Learning, Mixed Methods
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.14 No.10,
October
29,
2026
ABSTRACT: The new opportunities for college students to foster their autonomous learning ability have emerged with the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI). This research examines how artificial intelligence tools can be incorporated into university English courses to strengthen students’ ability to learn independently. Grounded on theories of SRL and learners’ autonomy, this study is conducted with a mixed methods approach that involves 126 undergraduates who are not majoring in English at a finance and economics university located in southwest China. The quantitative results come from an instrument that was used to measure learners’ autonomous behavior prior to and following a treatment where students engaged in an AI-based teaching session for sixteen weeks, while qualitative information was collected through semi-structured interviews of 12 purposefully selected students. Results show that there are statistically significant changes, before and after the intervention, regarding the student’s perception about his/her goals, strategy use, self-monitoring and motivational regulation. Furthermore, the qualitative analyses showed that learners perceived the AI tools as an easily available tutor, as adaptive practice partners, and instant feedback providers, thus alleviating learners’ apprehension and boosting their involvement in autonomous EL. The current work provides pedagogical implications to designing AI-integrated LACs and highlights risks of over-reliance on automated feedback. Due to the study’s one-group pre-test and post-test design, we do not have clear-cut causality evidence to show that it was AI which caused this change, nor can we say that the behaviour changed is a permanent one.