Chatbot como agente tutor para el fortalecimiento de la comprensión lectora en estudiantes de BGU

Abstract

The thesis, titled “Chatbot as a Tutoring Agent for Strengthening Reading Comprehension in High School Students,” proposes the design, development, and implementation of a prototype called “Yanohe_bot” — an AI-based tutoring agent intended to support the teaching and learning process in the subject of Language and Literature. The study originated from the problem identified at the “Nueve de Octubre” Educational Unit in Machala, Ecuador, where low levels of reading comprehension were evident among third-year high school students. The research employed a mixed-methods approach to diagnose students’ needs and identify their main difficulties in reading comprehension. Based on this diagnosis, a chatbot prototype was developed on the n8n platform, integrated with the ChatGPT-4o mini model, and its effectiveness was evaluated through assessments administered before and during the intervention. The results showed significant improvements in students’ reading comprehension, as well as increased participation and motivation. It is concluded that the use of a virtual tutoring agent is a useful and innovative tool that personalizes instruction and fosters student autonomy in developing reading skills.