The Effectiveness of Using AI-Assisted Blended Learning to Improve the Critical Reading Skills of Vietnamese EFL Students and The Role of SFL In Interpreting the Self-Regulated Learning and Meaning-Making Processes

Abstract

The study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of AI-supported blended learning for improving the critical reading skills of Vietnamese EFL learners. The methods used were an explanatory sequential mixed methods design. A structured questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data from 150 undergraduate students of an AI-assisted blended English reading course. Descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, Pearson correlation and multiple regression analyses were performed. Semi-structured interviews with 12 purposively selected students were used to collect qualitative data, which were subsequently analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings indicated that AI-assisted blended learning, Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) and Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) meaning-making awareness were strongly positively correlated with critical reading skills. The critical reading outcomes were significantly predicted by AI-assisted blended learning and SRL, with the model explaining 61.8% of the variance. SFL-based analysis was also found to have raised students' awareness of ideational, interpersonal and textual meanings. AI-supported blended learning is shown to be effective in improving CR skills in conjunction with SRL strategies and analytical reading approaches. The role of AI is to augment, not supplant, student cognition and judgment. Education institutions should make the use of AI literacy, SRL training, and instruction of SFL-based critical reading in the blended learning environment a component of the educational process. Longitudinal and experimental designs should be used for future studies to investigate long-term effects.