From Anxiety to Autonomy: Examining Automated Feedback Systems Shape Reading Motivation and Emotional Engagement Worldwide

Abstract

The automated feedback systems, spread worldwide through digital reading platforms, have not only changed access to education but have also not been insufficiently studied in terms of their effects on learner’s emotional and motivational pathways, especially their ability to transition anxiety to autonomy across cultures. The purpose of the study was to investigate the roles of AI-based feedback systems in shaping reading motivation, emotional involvement, and self-regulated autonomy among diverse learners worldwide. The study employed a quantitative pre-post experimental design with N = 500 adult participants of 10 countries, stratified by age, education, and culture region. For structured tasks, participants were randomly assigned to receive either personalized AI feedback or static reading material. Key measures included the Reading Anxiety Scale, Emotional Engagement Scale, Reading Motivation Questionnaire, and the Perceived Autonomy Index. Findings showed that automated feedback significantly reduced reading anxiety and increased emotional engagement, with effects persisting at four-week follow-up. Cultural individualism mediated autonomy gains more strongly, revealing 81.5% more effects in western samples. Personalization intensity accounted for 31.2% of the variance in intrinsic motivation, and biometric integration doubled the mediated interaction between anxiety and autonomy. These results support a Dynamic Anxiety-to-Autonomy Continuum Model, where culturally adaptive, physiologically responsive AI serves as a driving force for equitable reading development. The findings imply the need for inclusive edtech tool design and a research approach that is longitudinal and multimodal to maximize global learning outcomes.

Keywords: Affective Computing, Anxiety, Cultural Moderation, Automated Feedback Systems, Emotional Engagement, Reading Motivation, Self-Determination Theory, Global Education,