Presentation Prevail or Fail? Supporting Learner Confidence in Aviation English Through Pedagogically Mediated AI Use more

Under the theme “Prevail or Fail?”, this presentation reports on a classroom-based intervention examining how scaffolded AI-supported rehearsal tasks may influence learner confidence among ground staff students at a Japanese aviation college. The project involves one intact aviation communication class of approximately 35–40 students meeting once per week for two consecutive sessions over six weeks. Traditional communication instruction continues in the first session, while AI-supported rehearsal activities are implemented in the second. In customer-facing aviation contexts, learners often experience communicative anxiety despite possessing adequate procedural knowledge. This project explores three guiding questions: (1) under what instructional conditions AI-supported rehearsal appears to influence confidence in handling unpredictable passenger interactions; (2) how students experience AI when framed as a rehearsal partner rather than an evaluative authority; and (3) what unintended patterns emerge, including over-reliance or heightened perfectionism. Drawing on self-regulated learning (Zimmerman, 2002) and sociocultural scaffolding (Vygotsky, 1978), AI is positioned as a structured rehearsal scaffold. Tasks include simulated passenger service scenarios (e.g., delay explanations and complaint handling) followed by guided reflection. Data consist of anonymised learner reflections, classroom observation, and instructor field notes, enabling analysis of emerging themes related to confidence development and risk.