Generative AI-Mediated Task Scaffolding in EFL Reading Comprehension: Cognitive, Self-Regulatory, and Interactional Mechanisms

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Department of English Language Teaching, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran

10.22034/jsllt.2026.24507.1127

Abstract

This study examines the integration of generative AI into Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) to enhance L2 reading development. Grounded in Interactionist, Sociocultural, and Self-Regulated Learning theories, it proposes a model of AI-mediated task scaffolding, addressing the limited integration of complementary AI scaffolding functions in previous research. In this framework, AI functions as a structured mediator, coordinating interactional feedback, sociocultural support, and metacognitive regulation across pre-, while-, and post-reading phases. Fifty-eight non-English-major student-teachers (A2–B1 CEFR) participated in a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest control-group design. Both groups completed identical texts and tasks, but the experimental group additionally used theoretically aligned ChatGPT, QuillBot, and Rewordify to support lexical access, inferencing, and reflective processing. The reading outcomes were assessed with a validated 40-item comprehension test, complemented by semi-structured interviews on learners’ experiences with AI. The quantitative results showed significantly greater gains for the AI-supported group, particularly in overall reading comprehension and strategic engagement with texts. The qualitative findings indicated that the learners reported reduced perceived effort, sustained engagement, and enhanced metacognitive monitoring while using AI-supported reading tasks. By positioning AI as a pedagogically embedded mediator rather than a stand-alone tool, the study provides an integrated account of how interactional modification, scaffolded development, and self-regulated engagement converge in task-based reading. The findings provide empirical support for the principled integration of AI and highlight practical implications for EFL teacher education

Keywords

References

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Journal of Studies in Language Learning and Teaching

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 23 September 2026

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History

  • Receive Date: 02 May 2026
  • Revise Date: 27 August 2026
  • Accept Date: 20 September 2026

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