While numerous studies of robot-assisted language learning (RALL) for English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) learners’ language skill development have been done, a comprehensive and theoretically-driven meta-analysis on its effects is still in paucity. To fill the gap, drawing on Activity Theory (AT), this study reported a meta-analysis from 47 independent studies out of 29 literature samples involving 1791 EFL learners on RALL for language skill development published during 2004–2023. The results indicated that the overall effect size was g = .69, 95% CI [.49, .90], suggesting that RALL outperforms non-RALL conditions. In addition, educational levels and intervention durations were found to be significant moderators. Based on the results, implications for practice were discussed.

中文翻译：

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机器人辅助语言学习对英语作为外语技能发展的影响

虽然机器人辅助语言学习（RALL）对于英语作为外语（EFL）学习者语言技能发展的大量研究已经完成，但对其影响的全面且理论驱动的荟萃分析仍然很少。为了填补这一空白，本研究利用活动理论 (AT)，对 2004 年至 2023 年发表的关于 RALL 语言技能发展的 29 个文献样本中的 47 个独立研究进行了荟萃分析，涉及 1791 名 EFL 学习者。结果表明，总体效应大小为 g = .69，95% CI [.49，.90]，表明 RALL 优于非 RALL 条件。此外，教育水平和干预持续时间也是重要的调节因素。根据结果​​，讨论了对实践的影响。