Effects of an AI–VR enhanced flipped classroom on English achievement, metacognitive self-regulation, and learning motivation among EFL learners: the moderating role of technological literacy
摘要
Traditional flipped classrooms often fail to sustain young EFL learners’ engagement due to passive pre-class tasks and high self-regulation demands. While Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Virtual Reality (VR) offer potential solutions, their combined impact and the moderating role of technological literacy in primary education remain underexplored. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory and Self-Regulated Learning theory, this study examined the comparative effects of an integrated AI–VR enhanced flipped classroom on English achievement, metacognitive self-regulation (MSR), and learning motivation, and whether AI–VR technological literacy moderated these effects. Using a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest control-group design, 60 fifth-grade Chinese EFL learners were assigned to either an AI–VR enhanced flipped classroom (n = 30) or a traditional video-based flipped model (n = 30). The same instructor delivered both conditions under a fully scripted protocol, with structured classroom observations confirming fidelity. ANCOVA revealed a robust effect on achievement (