Purpose <p>The aim of this study is to investigate how students’ social and educational norms and practices affect their attitudes and engagement towards improving English communication skills using a chatbot as a conversation partner. It examines the practices, views and challenges of students who are aiming to improve their spoken communication skills with the chatbot in the conventional language classroom.</p> Method <p>Based on a small-scale study conducted at universities in Japan, this research employs both qualitative and quantitative questionnaire-based surveys to examine students’ attitudes and views on engaging in simulated real conversations using a chatbot for a period of eight weeks in an English language course. Particular attention was also paid to examining the differences between experienced and novice chatbot users’ first-hand experiences of speaking intervention tasks.</p> Results <p>The findings revealed that students had positive views on the chatbot-facilitated intervention in the classroom, but they were shaped by the socio-educational norms and practices that they were accustomed to and their expectations informed by their prior experiences. Their views were also influenced by their previous utility of such AI technology.</p> Conclusion <p>This study provides valuable insights into how to effectively utilise a chatbot as an educational tool to help students personalise language learning experiences in diverse social and educational contexts. Teachers need to be equipped with the knowledge that students’ socio-educational backgrounds and their language learning approaches are inseparable and indistinguishable.</p>