English pronunciation self-efficacy partially mediates the association between GenAI-based pronunciation feedback perceptions and willingness to communicate, with the indirect effect accounting for 69.9% of the total effect¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 2 studies · 2 associational r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? The indirect effect of GenAI feedback on WTC through EPSE is statistically significant (β = 0.401). → Lu Y 2026 q2 i? The indirect effect accounts for about 69.9% of the total effect of GenAI feedback on WTC, while the direct effect remains significant. → Lu Y 2026 (2)

Evidence¶

Lu Y 2026¶

Lu Y, Yang Y, Cui T, Yang Z, Cai Y and Jing B (2026) Associations between generative AI–based pronunciation feedback and willingness to communicate in English: the mediating role of English pronunciation self-efficacy. Front. Psychol. 17:1918980. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1918980

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Mediation analysis using bootstrapped path analysis with 5,000 resamples in the study's SEM on 1,701 respondents. The indirect effect through EPSE was significant, "β = 0.401", with a bias-corrected 95% CI excluding zero.

"the mediation effect of EPSE was statistically significant, with B = 0.436 and β = 0.401. The bias-corrected 95% confidence interval did not include zero [0.390, 0.490], p < 0.001."

Lu Y 2026 (2)¶

Lu Y, Yang Y, Cui T, Yang Z, Cai Y and Jing B (2026) Associations between generative AI–based pronunciation feedback and willingness to communicate in English: the mediating role of English pronunciation self-efficacy. Front. Psychol. 17:1918980. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1918980

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Total-effect analysis reported alongside the mediation results: the total effect of GenAI feedback on WTC was significant (B = 0.624, β = 0.574), and "the indirect effect is 0.401, accounting for about 69.9% of the total effect".

"the mediation anal -ysis shows that the indirect effect is 0.401, accounting for about 69.9% of the total effect, suggesting that the EPSE plays a substantial role in the relationship between GenAI Feedback and WTC."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Studies directly measuring WTC consistently report positive effects of AI on EFL learners' WTC across tool types, contexts, and age groups — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
• GenAI feedback perceptions, pronunciation self-efficacy, and WTC are all positively intercorrelated, and learners report positive feedback perceptions and moderate self-efficacy and WTC — related
• English pronunciation self-efficacy is strongly and positively associated with willingness to communicate in English among Chinese EFL learners — related
• Chinese EFL learners' positive perceptions of GenAI-based pronunciation feedback are positively associated with their English pronunciation self-efficacy — related
• Trust in AI and academic self-efficacy serially mediate the literacy-to-continued-use association (literacy → trust → self-efficacy → use) — related
• Vocabulary mediates the association between academic self-efficacy and listening comprehension — related