Unearthing the impacts of AI-assisted peer assessment on L2 vocabulary acquisition and academic resilience

Abstract

Superficial feedback by peers diminishes the efficacy of peer assessment. AI-assisted peer assessment might address this challenge, but its effect on vocabulary acquisition and academic resilience remains underexplored. Therefore, we examined how AI-assisted peer assessment contributes to EFL learners’ vocabulary acquisition and academic resilience. Applying a mixed-methods design, three intact classes were randomly divided into three conditions: an AI-assisted peer assessment condition, a conventional peer assessment group, and a control group. A researcher-made test measured learners’ baseline and post-intervention vocabulary knowledge. Secondly, narrative frames and semi-structured interviews explored learners’ perceptions and experiences of academic resilience. The results demonstrated that the AI-assisted peer assessment condition achieved the highest posttest vocabulary scores, followed by the conventional peer assessment group and the control group. Thematic analyses of qualitative data revealed that AI-assisted peer assessment contributed to academic resilience by promoting self-regulated persistence, assisting learners in managing uncertainty through conditional trust in AI mediation.