Enhancing University Students' Reading Comprehension through AI-Supported Scaffolding with ChatGPT
Abstract
This quasi-experimental study investigated the effects of ChatGPT-supported pre-reading scaffolding on the English reading comprehension of university students. Forty-eight students from Universitas Nusantara PGRI Kediri participated in the study and were assigned to an experimental group receiving ChatGPT-supported pre-reading scaffolding and a control group receiving traditional teacher-led instruction over one academic semester. The intervention consisted of structured pre-reading activities involving vocabulary pre-teaching, background knowledge activation, predictive questioning, and interactive clarification through ChatGPT. These activities were designed to prepare students for reading by activating prior knowledge, developing relevant vocabulary, and establishing content schemata before engagement with target texts. Reading comprehension outcomes were analyzed using ANCOVA. The results showed that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group, F(1, 63) = 5.06, p = 0.02, partial η² = 0.07, indicating a significant effect of ChatGPT-supported pre-reading scaffolding on students’ reading comprehension. The findings suggest that ChatGPT can serve as a complementary scaffolding tool that supports vocabulary preparation, background knowledge activation, and individualized pre-reading support. However, its integration should remain guided by teacher expertise to ensure effective and responsible use in EFL reading instruction.
Keywords
References
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.31004/jele.v11i5.3048
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