AI-ASSISTED TOOLS INFLUENCING MATTAYOM 6 STUDENTS’ ENGLISH-SPEAKING CONFIDENCE AT PAK KHAT PITTAYAKHOM SCHOOL BUENGKAN THAILAND

บทคัดย่อ

This study examined Mattayom 6 students’ perceptions and experiences of AI-assisted speaking practice and English-speaking confidence at Pak Khat Pittayakhom School, Buengkan, Thailand. The study aimed to explore students’ perceived confidence in speaking English after using AI-assisted tools, identify factors within AI-assisted speaking activities that students perceived as contributing to confidence, examine students’ attitudes and experiences regarding AI-supported conversational English practice, and provide context-specific recommendations for integrating AI into Thai secondary-school speaking instruction. A qualitative-dominant mixed-methods case study was conducted over five weeks. The broader AI-assisted speaking activities involved approximately 260 students across seven Mattayom 6 classrooms; 151 students completed a questionnaire and 33 students participated in semi-structured group interviews. Limited classroom observation notes were used as contextual support. Quantitative data were summarized using frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations, with internal consistency estimates calculated as a supplementary check. Qualitative data from interviews and open-ended questionnaire responses were analyzed thematically. Students generally perceived AI-assisted speaking practice positively. The strongest result concerned classroom speaking confidence: 82.1% agreed or strongly agreed that regular AI use had made them more confident speaking English in class (M = 4.40, SD = 0.83). Students also valued AI for useful hints and support (M = 4.31, SD = 0.87), learning new words and phrases (M = 4.27, SD = 0.94), and helpful correction of English mistakes (M = 4.25, SD = 0.93). Qualitative findings indicated that students valued AI as a low-pressure rehearsal partner that allowed repeated practice, vocabulary and sentence support, and feedback without immediate social judgment. However, confidence and willingness to communicate were less strong in spontaneous or outside-classroom situations. The findings suggest that AI-assisted tools are most appropriately used as teacher-guided preparation, rehearsal, and feedback resources that lead students toward authentic communication with teachers and peers rather than replacing human interaction.