2016 Volume 15 Issue 1 Pages 15-27
In this paper, we propose an embodied conversational agent based on the willingness to communicate (WTC) model in L2 to help increase WTC in the context of English as a foreign language (EFL) by providing users with various daily conversation contexts. To simulate realistic and efficient conversations, we adopted a semantic approach in the response generation and created a system with flexible and adaptable domain knowledge, user's intent detection, and mixed-initiative conversation strategy. Our evaluation of the proposed system demonstrated its potential to simulate efficiently natural conversations in a specific context as well as the feasibility of improving learners' WTC using a computer-based environment.
