Reading.help: Supporting EFL Readers with Proactive and On-Demand Explanation of English Grammar and Semantics

TL;DR

This paper presents Reading.help, an AI-powered tool designed to assist EFL readers by providing proactive and on-demand explanations of English grammar and semantics, aiming to improve comprehension and self-learning.

Contribution

The paper introduces Reading.help, a novel LLM-based reading aid tailored for EFL learners, developed through iterative feedback and evaluation with actual users.

Findings

Reading.help aids EFL readers in understanding complex sentences.

The tool shows potential to support self-directed English learning.

User feedback led to iterative improvements of the tool.

Abstract

A large portion of texts is written in English, but readers who see English as a Foreign Language (EFL) often struggle to read texts accurately and swiftly. EFL readers seek help from professional teachers and mentors, which is limited and costly. In this paper, we explore how an intelligent reading tool can assist EFL readers. We conducted a case study with EFL readers in South Korea. We at first developed an LLM-based reading tool based on prior literature. We then revised the tool based on the feedback from a study with 15 South Korean EFL readers. The final tool, named Reading.help, helps EFL readers comprehend complex sentences and paragraphs with on-demand and proactive explanations. We finally evaluated the tool with 5 EFL readers and 2 EFL education professionals. Our findings suggest Reading.help could potentially help EFL readers self-learn English when they do not have access to external support.