#664: Being Guided or Becoming? Exploring Learners’ Relational Possibilities and Hazards with GAI Chatbots through Sociocultural Lenses

This interpretive qualitative study explores the relational possibilities and hazards that emerge when learners engage with generative AI (GAI) chatbots in reflective writing. While chatbots, as competent and nonjudgmental assistants, create safe spaces for learners, the strong preference for them over peer interactions calls for further reflection. Aligned with sociocultural theories, especially the notion of scaffolding, the study highlights potential risks of prioritizing being guided at the expense of becoming independent and reflective learners.