Scaffolded Lexical Performance and Self-regulated Vocabulary Learning: Examining ChatGPT in University ESL/EFL Settings

Abstract

Research on ChatGPT in ESL and EFL higher education is expanding rapidly, yet the evidence remains conceptually and methodologically fragmented across vocabulary development, academic writing performance, motivational modelling, and learner autonomy. This study employed a qualitative synthesis of peer-reviewed journal articles to systematically examine and integrate empirical findings on the pedagogical use of ChatGPT in tertiary ESL and EFL contexts. Drawing on heterogeneous research designs, including experimental, mixed-method, and survey-based studies, the review identifies patterns across outcome measures and theoretical frameworks. The literature indicates that ChatGPT enhances scaffolded lexical performance, writing fluency, and learner engagement when embedded within structured instructional environments. Most studies, however, assess performance on AI-supported tasks rather than on independent vocabulary retrieval, which limits claims about durable lexical internalization. The findings indicate that ChatGPT primarily functions as a mediational scaffold and sustained self-regulated vocabulary development depends on deliberate instructional sequencing, critical engagement, and the gradual withdrawal of AI support to strengthen autonomous language control.