Views: 412
Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Special Issue on CALL Vol. 17, No.12. July 2026 Pp.59-81
This study sheds light on the influence of ChatGPT on the receptive skills (listening and Reading) of Omani ESL students and their engagement. The study addresses a gap in recent research, which has primarily focused on writing and language development skills. The researcher adopts a mixed-methods research design, in which both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. Students use the free version of ChatGPT on their cell phones to complete the productive stage task, which comes at the end of the receptive-based lesson in a CELTA framework. They were asked to present this task to ChatGPT as a prompt. The prompt contains the target vocabulary of the class. Then, they were asked to work on various activities, such as paraphrasing, identifying similar and different facts, and comparing ChatGPT’s answers with the text or audio used in their lesson.The findings gathered from a Likert-scale-based survey and open-ended questions revealed varying degrees of positive gains from ChatGPT. For instance, the findings revealed positive insights from participants on improving receptive skills among learners. However, a few participants showed a positive insight into fostering their speaking skills. Furthermore, most participants reported that ChatGPT enhanced their engagement in the class. This results in a deeper understanding of the target vocabulary and class structure. The study concludes that the use of ChatGPT played an integral role in enhancing the receptive skills and the students` engagement. The research also focused on the potential challenges that learners encountered during the integration of this tool in the classroom. Finally, further research is needed to integrate AI tools for the comprehensive development of methods utilized in receptive skills.
Ayyat. A. (2026). ChatGPT in the ESL Classroom: Enhancing Receptive Skills and Student Engagement. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Special Issue on CALL 17 (12)59-81
Abril, B. V. D., Carlosama, K. M. D., & Pachay, J. F. Z. (2025). Exploring the Effect of ChatGPT as an Educational Tool to Improve Vocabulary Acquisition in the English Language. Ciencia Latina Revista Científica Multidisciplinar, 9(1), 4874-4886. https://doi.org/10.37811/cl_rcm.v9i1.16190
Al-Alami, S. E. (2024). EFL Learners’ Attitudes Towards Utilizing ChatGPT for Acquiring Writing Skills in Higher Education: A Case Study of Computing Students. Journal of Language Teaching & Research, 15(4). https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1504.01
Aldowsari, B. I. ., & Aljebreen, S. G. . (2024). The Impact of Using a ChatGPT-based application to Enhance Saudi Students’ EFL Vocabulary Learning. International Journal of Language and Literary Studies, 6(4), 380–397. https://doi.org/10.36892/ijlls.v6i4.1955
Algraini, F. N. (2024). Saudi Female EFL Learners’ Perceptions of the Impact of ChatGPT on Vocabulary Improvement. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 14(8), 2563-2573. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1408.29
Levine, S., Beck, S. W., Mah, C., Phalen, L., & Pittman, J. (2025). How do students use ChatGPT as a writing support?. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 68(5), 445-457. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.1373
Li, J., Huang, J., Wu, W. et al. (2024). Evaluating the role of ChatGPT in enhancing EFL writing assessments in classroom settings: A preliminary investigation. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 11(12) 68-75 .https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03755-2
Losi, R. V., Putra, E., Ali, N., & Dewi, A. S. (2024). Investigating Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a Vocabulary Learning Tool: Students’ Perception to Use ChatGPT. Proceeding International Conference on Religion, Science and Education, 3, 561–566. Retrieved from https://sunankalijaga.org/prosiding/index.php/icrse/article/view/1208
Mugableh, A. I. (2024). The impact of ChatGPT on the development of vocabulary knowledge of Saudi EFL students. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Special Issue on ChatGPT. https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/ChatGPT.18
Punar Özçelik, N., Yangın Ekşi, G. (2024) Cultivating writing skills: the role of ChatGPT as a learning assistant—a case study. Smart Learn. Environ. 11,10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-024-00296-8
Werdiningsih, I., Marzuki, Indrawati, I., Rusdin, D., Ivone, F. M., Basthomi, Y., & Zulfahreza. (2024). Revolutionizing EFL writing: unveiling the strategic use of ChatGPT by Indonesian master’s students. Cogent Education, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2024.2399431
Dr. Amjed Ayyat teaches English at the Center for Preparatory Studies at Dhofar University, Oman. He has been teaching English to tertiary-level students for more than 15 years. He has a Ph.D. in linguistics and recently completed his Cambridge CELTA. His research interests include utilizing technology in the ESL classroom and syntax and phonology.
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7481-2066