Abstract
While AI technology has advanced, research on ChatGPT's role in language teaching is quite limited. No study yet has explored its impact among Turkish English educators. This study engaged English teachers from primary to higher education. 110 teachers, 49.1% from K-12 schools and 50.9% from universities, responded to an online survey in March 2023. ChatGPT's potential emerged in supplying authentic texts, fostering skills, and personalizing content. Concerns arose about ethics, plagiarism, and content quality. Some found ChatGPT inadequate without human validation. It also raised worries about curbing student creativity and critical thinking. The study suggested teachers need digital competencies—tech skills, pedagogical alignment, and ethical awareness—to improve teaching practices, assessment methods, and engagement. Teachers need guidance on ChatGPT use and ethical awareness, and training on integrating higher order thinking into lessons.
TopLiterature Review
Several studies have emphasized the advantages of AI in language acquisition. One of the most notable features of ChatGPT is its ability to generate a diverse range of content (Bayne et al., 2015; Chen et al., 2022). This content generation can foster various activities, such as creating innumerable content or providing a great deal of input to students. Many AI tools, including ChatGPT, have been found to effectively enhance learners' language skills (Mohamed, 2023). One of these assets could be seen in reading skills, specifically. AI holds promise for differentiating between low and high-achieving students in reading performance, enabling tailored approaches to reading texts (Xiao & Hu, 2019). Additionally, the AI-based approach supports the improvement and instruction of writing skills (Barrot, 2023; Chen et al., 2022; Kartal, 2023; Mohamed, 2023). This advantage manifests in various forms, such as pre-writing brainstorming sessions and immediate, detailed AI-assisted feedback on written work (Baidoo-Anu & Owusu Ansah, 2023; Bayne et al., 2015; Chen et al., 2022; Ekoç-Özçelik & Ergun-Gündüz, 2023; Fitria, 2023; Jeon, 2021; Kohnke et al., 2023; Mohamed, 2023; Yan, 2023). This ChatGPT feature expedites error correction and skill enhancement, benefiting both students and teachers. Moreover, ChatGPT's ability to provide feedback on multiple aspects of writing can contribute to personalized feedback, reducing teachers' workload (Ekoç-Özçelik & Ergun- Gündüz, 2023; Mohamed, 2023; Kasneci et al., 2023). Learners can also benefit from peer feedback on AI tools like ChatGPT, fostering language skill improvement and critical thinking (Ekoç-Özçelik & Ergun-Gündüz, 2023).
Key Terms in this Chapter
ChatBot: A chatbot is a computer software that analyses customer inquiries and automates responses to mimic human dialogue. Chatbots can assist users in finding the information they require by responding to their queries and requests via text, speech, or both, without requiring human intervention.
Generative AI: A type of artificial intelligence known as “generative AI” is able to create a variety of content, including text, images, audio, and made-up data. The user-friendly interfaces of cutting-edge tools, which enable users to quickly create excellent text, graphics, and films in only a few seconds, are the source of the current excitement around generative AI.
EFL: English as a Foreign Language (EFL) is the study and practise of English as a second language in a country that does not speak English.
Open AI: OpenAI is an AI research and development company. Their stated goal is to ensure that artificial general intelligence serves mankind as a whole.
ChatGPT: The ChatGPT application was created by OpenAI. It can create responses to your questions, write or copy different contexts, create content, explain code using different programming languages, translate and transform natural language to code depending on the prompts offered to it
Natural Language Processing: Natural language processing (NLP) is a branch of artificial intelligence (AI) that enables computers to comprehend written and spoken words as in the same way that people do.
Artificial Intelligence (AI): Artificial intelligence is the simulation of human cognitive and linguistic processes by computer systems. AI tools as well as applications are based on natural language processing, speech or voice recognition, and machine vision.
AI-Assisted Learning (AIAL): AIAL refers to an adaptable learning experience that supplements our natural learning style with machine intelligence. Artificial intelligence can see patterns and make decisions that benefit people. There are a variety of diverse patterns in human learning.