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Exploring shared repertoire in virtual communities of practice: Integration of artificial intelligence in English language teaching
No full textThis study explores how English language teachers use shared repertoire in Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoPs) when integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools into teaching. Using qualitative analysis of discussions from three open Facebook groups, the study identifies how teachers actively collaborate online to share practical strategies and resources related to AI. Findings indicate that shared repertoire in these groups serves four main purposes: supporting teaching activities, assessing students, sharing relevant resources, and suggesting improvements to AI tools. Teachers also discuss common challenges, including excessive reliance on AI, privacy issues, limited access to AI resources, and the risk of reduced teacher-student interactions. The study highlights that teachers' collective experiences within these online communities can help institutions develop more relevant training programs for teachers. Overall, this research confirms that while AI can support language education, its successful integration relies on teachers sharing experiences and guiding each other on how to best use this technology to enhance their teaching
Teachers’ perspectives about the benefits, challenges, and strategies for using generative AI in English language teaching
No full textThe emergence of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools in recent years has entailed arguments both for and against their use for teaching and learning among policy makers, schools, teachers, and researchers. While the debates have not reached a consensus yet, many teachers struggle with using them. To help build the literature on GenAI for English language teaching (ELT) and assist teachers to use GenAI effectively in their teaching, the current study adopts a qualitatively driven convergent mixed methods research design with Technology, Pedagogy and Content Knowledge (TPACK) as the theoretical frame work. TPACK domains serve as the major themes for data analysis on benefits, challenges and strategies regarding GenAI in ELT. Data collection involves 41 ELT teachers at universities, K–12, and language schools engaging with background and reflection surveys, focus group discussions, and activities during two virtual workshops. A three-month interval between the workshops allows teachers to apply what they learn in the first workshop in teaching and addressing challenges while using GenAI. The results reveal various benefits for teachers, e.g. saving time and generating ideas for teaching preparation. There are also challenges relating to technology (e.g. lack of technological competence), pedagogy (e.g. students’ misconduct), and content (e.g. response accuracy). The study proposes a set of strategies for good practice including pedagogy first, quality focus, prompt engineering, and appropriateness. The results highlight the significance of teacher and learner agency to complement the TPACK model and the importance of pedagogical principles (e.g. flexible and creative use of GenAI for teaching) in ensuring appropriate and effective adoption of GenAI in ELT
Reimagining AI integration: Vietnamese EFL instructors' cultural reconceptualization of the 6-P framework
No full textThis study investigates the cultural adaptation of the 6-P framework—comprising plan, prompt, preview, produce, peer-review, and portfolio-tracking phases—for integrating generative artificial intelligence (AI) in academic writing instruction within Vietnamese universities. Through qualitative analysis of interviews, focus groups, and workshops with 16 Vietnamese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instructors, the research reveals three interconnected themes: cultural reconceptualization of framework components, professional authority anxieties amid institutional constraints, and pragmatic adaptation strategies. Findings show that instructors prioritize evaluation over production, transform peer review into community feedback mechanisms, and experience cultural-technological dissonance between conscious innovation advocacy and unconscious preservation of hierarchical teaching patterns. Contrary to conventional theories, senior instructors demonstrated greater receptivity than junior colleagues, indicating that institutional security rather than age determines innovation willingness. The documented pedagogical double consciousness and proposed collective reflection component expose embedded Western individualistic assumptions, challenging technological universalism in educational AI discourse. These findings demand epistemological transformation rather than surface localization, questioning whether Western-derived frameworks can achieve authentic global implementation without fundamental reconceptualization. The study contributes theoretical insights that extend beyond Vietnamese contexts while advancing understanding of how educational technologies embody cultural values requiring paradigmatic rather than technical solutions
AI chatbot-assisted English learning and willingness to communicate: A narrative meta-synthesis of evidence from Asian English as a foreign language contexts
No full textThe growing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots in English language learning has sparked increasing interest in their potential to enhance learners’ willingness to communicate (WTC) in English. Nonetheless, comprehensive syntheses of their impact remain limited. This study presents a narrative meta-synthesis of empirical evidence on AI chatbot-assisted English learning in the Asian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context, including Iran, South Korea, Taiwan, China, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Thailand, and Vietnam. A systematic search of prominent databases (Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCO, and Google Scholar) yielded pertinent studies, which were thematically analyzed to synthesize quantitative and qualitative results. The synthesis reveals that regular chatbot interaction enhances WTC, communicative confidence, and motivation by reducing speaking anxiety and providing adaptive, nonjudgmental feedback. Learners reported increased fluency and engagement when using AI chatbots such as Google Assistant, Alexa, and ChatGPT, although technological limitations and limited conversational depth occasionally hindered sustained interaction. Although most studies show moderate to strong short-term effects, evidence on long-term transfer to real-world communication remains scarce. Overall, the findings emphasize AI chatbots as valuable mediators of communicative readiness and confidence among Asian EFL learners, while emphasizing the necessity of longitudinal and context-sensitive research to refine their pedagogical application
ChatGPT’s effects on EFL learners’ autonomy and self-efficacy in self-regulated learning contexts
No full textThis study compares the effects of ChatGPT-facilitated and human teacher-facilitated project-based learning (PBL) on learner autonomy and self-efficacy among Vietnamese EFL students in a language training center. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, fifty participants were randomly assigned to either a ChatGPT-facilitated group or a teacher-facilitated group for an eight-week project-based intervention. Learner autonomy and self-efficacy were measured before and after the intervention. Quantitative data were analyzed using independent t-tests and one-way ANCOVA, while qualitative data from focus group interviews were coded and thematically analyzed. The results indicated that the ChatGPT group achieved significantly greater gains in learner autonomy, whereas both groups improved equally in self-efficacy. Qualitative analysis revealed that AI facilitation encouraged group initiative and experimentation, while teacher facilitation reinforced established routines and delegated authority. These findings demonstrate the potential of AI-driven facilitation to promote learner autonomy and suggest that blended models combining AI and human strengths may optimize language learning outcomes
Navigating English language publishing: Challenges faced by Omani Arabic-speaking early career researchers
No full textWhile English is now the most commonly used language for internationally recognized academic publications, its consequences for non-native English-speaking researchers have yet to be sufficiently documented in the Arabian Gulf. Using Flowerdew’s (2023) framework of ‘globalization of scholarship’ within ERPP (English for Research Publication Purposes), this paper explores the challenges and subsequent strategies used by Omani Arabic-speaking early-career scholars publishing in English language journals. This study is based on the analysis of qualitative data obtained from personal, unstructured interviews with eight Omani researchers in a publicly funded university in Oman to investigate the ways in which Arabic-speaking novice researchers negotiate the pressure to publish in well ranked English language publications by both conforming to established protocol, as well as by asserting their unique linguistic and discourse identity. The findings suggest that early-career scholars value English language publishing as a marker of institutional and professional achievement, but they want better support systems in terms of training and mentoring. Their recommendations to advance academic belonging consist of being involved with international organizations in specific disciplines to become familiar with academic discourse in English, engaging in collaborative writing, and using a journal’s in-house languages services. This study calls for inclusive publication opportunities as well as increased pedagogical support for scholars seeking to belong to the English language academic community
Exploring the dynamics of intercultural contact and intercultural communicative competence among Chinese college students
No full textIntercultural contact (IC), affording interactions between individuals from different cultures, should be an accessible goal in promoting intercultural (communicative) competence (ICC) in additional language learning context. IC happened either directly through in-person interaction or indirectly through exposure to cultural elements such as media. This study explored ways of direct and indirect IC, the levels of ICC, and their dynamic association. Data were collected from 425 participants at a Chinese university with an IC-ICC survey. Results revealed limited availability of direct in-person intercultural contact and a moderate level of ICC, with indirect IC being the primary means. The interplay between IC and ICC were reciprocal. Based on Byram’s (2021) model of ICC components, in the present study direct contact through intercultural activities within the home country and online written exchange on social media predicted the variance of knowledge of self and others, as well as skills of discovery. Indirect contact through personal connections and media, influenced intercultural attitudes and awareness, as well as skills of interaction and interpretation. Indirect contact through reading only enhanced knowledge of other cultures, while general English and cultural courses demonstrated no significant effects on ICC. Conversely, higher ICC facilitated IC, with knowledge of other cultures emerging as a particularly influential predictor of both direct and indirect IC, while intercultural attitudes mainly had an impact on indirect IC. The findings of this study highlighted the importance of indirect intercultural contact in the development of intercultural competence and the virtuous cycle of IC and ICC development
Exploring AI to automate EFL corrective written feedback in the first language
No full textWith the advent of ChatGPT and other AI programs using large language models, it is now relatively easy to provide automated written corrective feedback in a student’s native language. This paper reports on an exploratory study using a ChatGPT-powered plugin currently in development for the popular Moodle learning management system. The classroom intervention on which this study is based had four main steps: a) individual or collective brainstorming and vocabulary search (5 minutes), b) subsequent free-writing activity in an online browser (10 minutes), c) reading the ChatGPT feedback in L1 Japanese (5 minutes), d) completing paper error logs to process feedback (5 minutes). Data was collected from students’ written submissions as well as the ChatGPT-generated feedback, students’ error logs, and surveys administered to students after each activity and at the end of the semester. Analysis suggested that both students and teachers appreciated the grammatical feedback, found it to be relatively accurate, and largely comprehensible. There is room, however, for improvements in accuracy and presentation. Pedagogical implications are discussed. 
Review of Artificial Intelligence, Real Teaching: A Guide to AI in ELT
No full textAt this time, problem-solving and symbolic reasoning have come to be seen as the main topic of attention of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology which represents a significant evolution in AI capabilities (Tang et al., 2023). However, the potential for generative AI to revolutionize teaching and learning across the educational domain is not without controversy (Chan & Tsi, 2024). AI tools contain complicated methodological and ethical challenges in the English language teaching domain which both teachers and students need to be aware of. This is where Artificial intelligence, Real teaching: A guide to AI in ELT written by Joshua M. Paiz, Rachel Toncelli, and Ilka Kostka comes in
Exploring the impact of multimodal artifact creation in Canva on the understanding of multimodal texts in EFL Learners
No full textMultimodality is an important component of the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom. Among its myriad elements, one that has not been addressed in recent research is the importance of engaging in the creation of multimodal texts in EFL classes. This study investigates how adding lessons focused on the creation of multimodal texts in EFL classrooms contributes to EFL students’ understanding of multimodal texts in English. Employing a quasi-experimental design, the study involved the comparison two groups of students who learned English through a strong approach to multimodality. The control group focused only on viewing skills while the treatment group additionally engaged in artifact multimodal making through Canva in the second language. Our findings suggest that students who participated in this educational experience improved multimodal literacy, which serves as evidence in favor of the use of a strong approach to multimodality in EFL classrooms. We recommend that educational policies and teaching practices should integrate this approach to make EFL lessons a strategic support for the development of multimodal literacy