Dr. Ju Seong Lee – Featured Speaker @ KOTESOL 2026
Featured Session
Informal Digital Learning of English for AI Natives in Low-Resource Areas
Today’s “AI natives” – learners immersed in a world shaped by artificial intelligence – increasingly engage in informal digital learning of English (IDLE), a self-directed process that happens outside the classroom. This talk explores this vital, yet often overlooked, pathway to language development within Asian EFL contexts, particularly in low-resource areas. Drawing on seven years of research spanning ten regions, I will share findings on IDLE’s positive impact on learning outcomes. The discussion will then address a critical question: How can teachers navigate ecological challenges to successfully integrate these informal digital practices into more formal classroom settings for their AI-native students?
Invited Second Session
Using AI Tools to Overcome Anxiety and Build Confidence in Language Learning
Many Korean students learning English for exams experience high anxiety, low enjoyment, and reluctance to communicate. This talk explores how two digital tools – Generative AI chatbots and interactive AI toys – can help address these emotional barriers. I will introduce a practical, five-criteria framework for selecting these tools, focusing on monitoring, availability, performance, feasibility, and cost. I will then present a study conducted with university-level EFL learners that employed real-time idiodynamic analysis and physiological measures like heart-rate monitoring. Our preliminary findings reveal quantitative improvements in students’ enjoyment, anxiety, and willingness to communicate. Qualitative data further illustrate how these tools created a low-pressure space for practice. Finally, I will discuss practical strategies for integrating AI tools into the classroom and highlight promising directions for future research, offering a clear path toward more confident and engaged language learners.
Biosketch
Ju Seong Lee (PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) is an associate professor in the Department of English Language Education at the Education University of Hong Kong. His research centers on informal digital learning of English (IDLE) and its broader social impact. Lee serves as associate editor for Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies, and the Journal of AsiaTEFL. He has been named among the top 1% of researchers in Languages and Linguistics by Stanford University (2023–2025).
Web Links
Dr. Lee's Faculty Profile: https://www.eduhk.hk/ele/people/ju-seong-lee
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=bTlRySMAAAAJ&hl=en
Recent Publications
Lee, J. S. (2026). Informal Digital Learning of English. Cambridge University Press.
https://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/abs/informal-digital-learning-of...
Zadorozhnyy, A., Lai, W. Y. W., & Lee, J. S. (2025). EFL teachers’ ecological barriers to integrating informal digital learning of English. TESOL Quarterly, 1–26. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/tesq.3400
Lee, J. S., Xie, Q., & Lee, K. (2024). Informal digital learning of English and L2 willingness to communicate: Roles of emotions, gender, and educational stage. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 45(2), 596–612.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01434632.2021.1918699
Lee, J. S., & Chiu, M. M. (2023). Modeling EFL learners’ willingness to communicate: The roles of face-to-face and digital English communication anxiety. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 1–24. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/annual-review-of-applied-linguis...
Guo, X., & Lee, J. S. (2023). A systematic review of informal digital learning of English: An ecological systems theory perspective. System, 117, Article 103097. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0346251X23001197
Lee, J. S. (2022). Informal digital learning of English: Research to practice. Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Informal-Digital-Learning-of-English-Research-...
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