Investigating the Role of AI Book Talk Companion in Enhancing Student Performance: A Pilot Study on Self-Efficacy

This pilot study explores the potential of AI book talk companion to enhance students' self-efficacy, a critical factor in learning engagement, persistence, and academic achievement. The AI book talk companion system was designed to facilitate real-time interaction, providing immediate feedback and encouragement following students' reading activities. The study involved fourth to sixth-grade students, employing an exploratory design to assess the system's initial impact on their self-efficacy. While the findings did not indicate a significant increase in self-efficacy, there was a noticeable improvement in students' performance during book talk activities. This improvement suggests that the depth of interaction with the AI companion increased over time, with the quality of content output gradually approaching that of interactions with teachers. These preliminary results suggest that AI book talk companion hold promise for supporting student self-efficacy, meriting further investigation and application in educational settings.