A Qualitative Journey on Instructors' Perceptions of Artificial Intelligence in EFL Education

Abstract

Artificial intelligence influences education, particularly language instruction. Despite its expanding attention, few studies have examined teachers' views on AI in education. This qualitative study explores EFL teachers' AI-related views and insights. The study uses semi-structured interviews with 21 instructors from diverse universities to uncover complex attitudes toward AI, pedagogical ideologies, perceived benefits and drawbacks of AI, and privacy concerns. The study highlights four main themes: AI's capacity to adapt to individual learning needs, its influence on pedagogical dynamics, the need for technical proficiency to integrate AI, and ethical and security issues related to AI use. These results highlight the perceived benefits and challenges educators face when using AI and emphasize the need for continued research to develop successful AI integration techniques for language instruction.