GenAI chatbots in language learning: A systematic review of emerging affordances

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Educators are increasingly using GenAI chatbots in language learning classrooms. However, without a guiding theoretical framework, GenAI use may emphasize technological capabilities while overlooking the instructional and social goals of the learning environment. In this systematic review, we draw on the usefulness framework from the field of computer-supported collaborative learning to examine 24 empirical studies on the use of GenAI chatbots in language learning classrooms published between 2022 and 2025. By tracing how educators are using GenAI chatbots in language learning classrooms, we identify (1) the technological, pedagogical, and social affordances that were reported in previous research and continue being used, (2) the development of new sub-affordances within these three categories, and (3) the emergence of a new category of affordances related to the emotional state of learners, which we call Emotional Affordances. This new category, furthermore, nests a new subset of chatbots' capabilities: Engagement, Safety, and Self-Efficacy, thus expanding the existing theoretical framework.