A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
From Priming Modalities to Educational AI Chatbot Engagement: A Study of 67 Learners; 
Authors: Xuan, Trang; Salminen, Joni; Kaate, Ilkka; Ahmed, Farhan; Amin, Danial; Patil, Rajat; Jung, Soon-Gyo; Azem, Jinan Y.; Jansen, Bernard J.
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Publication year: 2026
Journal: International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction
ISSN: 1044-7318
eISSN: 1532-7590
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2026.2654818
Publication's open availability at the time of reporting: Open Access
Publication channel's open availability : Partially Open Access publication channel
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2026.2654818
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/526484363
Self-archived copy's licence: CC BY
Self-archived copy's version: Publisher`s PDF
Learner interactions with AI have become crucial in education. A study with sixty-seven learners in a within-subject quasi-experimental study was conducted. Participants were randomly assigned to counterbalance sequences of visual and audio learning materials about wild species, completing a pre-survey, two learning sessions with an educational AI chatbot called Cipherbot and post session experience surveys. This study focused on learner interactions with Cipherbot, specifically (1) how material modalities influenced recall; (2) chatbot engagement through behavioral patterns; (3) material modalities' influence on task completion; and (4) experiential interaction exploring how prior experiences moderated learning behaviors. Interactions were measured using surveys, audio-transcripts, and chatlogs. Results showed learners achieved higher knowledge recall with visual materials. Experienced AI-users interacted significantly less, whereas task-experienced learners interacted more after audio materials. The audio-butterfly sequence showed order effects, with learners spending more time producing more utterances. Chatbot-user guidelines with multiple modalities are recommended to enhance learning experience.
Keywords:
Artificial intelligence applications, empirical studies for user behavior, multimodal interaction
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Funding information in the publication:
This research did not receive any specific grants from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.