Lower Evaluative Pressure but Context-Dependent Confidence: Indonesian EFL Students’ Experiences of AI-Mediated Speaking Practice

Abstract

Purpose – This study explores how Indonesian EFL students experience evaluative conditions during AI-mediated speaking practice, utilize feedback and repeated practice opportunities, and perceive the transfer of comfort and confidence from AI interactions to communication with humans. Methodology – This interpretive qualitative study involved 12 Indonesian EFL students who completed eight weeks of self-directed speaking practice using ChatGPT. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed thematically. Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE) and the technology affordance perspective served as sensitizing concepts rather than predefined coding categories. Findings – Four themes emerged: reduced evaluative pressure; feedback and repeated practice as learning affordances; context-dependent self-confidence and uneven transfer; and heterogeneity in learner responses. AI provides relatively lower interpersonal pressure, but learners differ in how they utilize its affordances, and confidence does not consistently transfer to human communication. Novelty – The study distinguishes reduced evaluative pressure, affordance uptake, and cross-context confidence transfer as interrelated yet distinct processes. Significance – AI is best positioned as a low-risk practice environment that complements rather than replaces human interaction. Pedagogical designs should explicitly bridge AI-mediated practice with communication among peers, instructors, and real audiences.