Systematic Review on AI Chatbots as a Provision for Self-Paced Learning

The emergence and adoption of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education, especially ChatGPT, has garnered significant attention from educators and researchers alike. The most notable and attractive feature of this chatbot is its ability to offer personalised assistance to its users. In order to explore how ChatGPT creates a personalised learning environment for students and facilitates their learning processes, a systematic review of empirical studies was conducted. This review adhered strictly to PRISMA guidelines and included 10 empirical studies for meta-synthesis. The results revealed that the chatbot is highly valued for its ability to provide a social presence in students' learning journeys. This social presence is crucial as it creates a more engaging and interactive learning experience, which is often missing in traditional educational settings. One of the key findings from the review is that ChatGPT's personalised support enhances students' self-paced learning. By providing immediate feedback, answering questions, and offering explanations tailored to the student's level of understanding, the chatbot helps students learn at their own pace. The review highlights important implications for policy, practice, and research, emphasising the integration of ChatGPT into educational frameworks to support personalised learning and enhance teaching practices. It also calls for further research to examine the long-term effects of AI chatbots on student learning outcomes.