ChatGPT: The catalyst for teacher-student rapport and grit development in L2 class

Language education as a dynamic field of study requires constant innovations to meet the L2 needs in the classroom milieu. Additionally, the surge of technological advancements warns us about the significance of studying the possible beneficial roles of artificial intelligence in language teaching and learning about which the field is in its infancy stage. In this vein, the present study examined the effectiveness of a four-staged ChatGPT-based rapport-building protocol (CGRBP) on teacher-student rapport and L2 grit to not only profile a non-correlational evidence to L2 emotion studies, but also to link the realm of artificial intelligence with positive psychology in order to find practical ways for cultivating an emotionally supportive learning context. To do so, 30 intermediate-level Iranian EFL learners participated in experimental (n = 15) and control (n = 15) groups in a 16-week instruction program. Data gathered from a pre-test post-test experimental design was analyzed by One-Way ANCOVA and the analyses showed that students who were taught English through CGRBP outperformed the students in control group on L2 grit. The results verified the mediating role of CGRBP in the L2 context by suggesting that the application of a well-structured and staged ChatGPT-based instruction would possibly lead to enhanced L2 grit. Since grit is an integral part of one's positive psycho-emotional network, several theoretical and pedagogical implications were discussed and directions for future explorations were suggested.