GENDER DIFFERENCES IN ATTITUDES TOWARDS AI-ASSISTED ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN TWO NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIES

Abstract

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly integrated into English language learning, understanding learners' attitudes towards AI-assisted learning has become an important area of educational research. Although previous studies have generally reported positive perceptions of AI-assisted language learning, evidence regarding the influence of gender remains inconclusive, particularly among undergraduate students in Nigerian universities. This study investigated gender differences in attitudes towards AI-assisted English language learning among undergraduate students from two Nigerian universities. A descriptive survey design was adopted, involving 200 undergraduate students. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire adapted from validated instruments assessing learners' attitudes towards AI-assisted English language learning and analysed using descriptive statistics and an independent-samples t-test. The findings revealed that undergraduate students demonstrated positive attitudes across all measured dimensions of AI-assisted English language learning. Although female students recorded marginally higher attitude scores than their male counterparts, the difference was not statistically significant, indicating that gender was not a significant determinant of learners' attitudes. The findings indicate that students' acceptance of AI-assisted English language learning is influenced more by its perceived educational value than by gender. By providing context-specific evidence from two Nigerian universities, this study contributes to the growing literature on AI-assisted English language learning and informs the responsible integration of AI technologies into English language instruction in higher education.