Exploring the “what” and “how” of opportunities and challenges of AI in EFL teacher education

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has significantly impacted second language education, including English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching and learning. Although various studies have been conducted to examine the opportunities and challenges of AI in EFL teaching and learning, comparable work on the opportunities and challenges of AI in EFL teacher education is limited. This study aimed to explore the “what” and “how” of opportunities and challenges of AI in EFL teacher education. To that end, we used descriptive narrative design in which we collected autobiographical narratives and conducted semi-structured interviews with 35 EFL teachers, four EFL teacher educators, and four computer engineers. Through inductive thematic analysis, we identified several opportunities, including professional, psychological, and economic benefits. Moreover, the study also highlighted several challenges, including the need for pedagogical and digital literacy, the requirement for adequate infrastructure, and concerns regarding excessive reliance on AI, which may reduce human interaction and hinder teacher creativity. Concerning the “how” of opportunities of AI in EFL teacher education, we found AI’s potential to promote personalized learning and optimize time management, enhance teachers’ psychological welfare while reducing workload and improving motivation, and support skills development along with facilitating evaluation and assessment processes. Furthermore, we identified the “how” of the challenges of AI in EFL teacher education, including effective AI integration requires comprehensive training for EFL teachers, excessive reliance on AI may diminish human interactions and reduce EFL teacher creativity, and adequate infrastructure is necessary for AI integration into education. The study has implications for EFL teachers, EFL teacher educators, and AI experts.