Department of English Language, Am.C., Islamic Azad University, Amol, Iran & Department of English Language, Am.C., Islamic Azad University, Amol, Iran
Abstract: (98 Views)
Objective: The increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education has transformed classroom interaction, raising new emotional and ethical questions for teachers. Grounded in the framework of AI-informed Loving Pedagogy, this study examined how EFL teachers experience and sustain love, empathy, and moral awareness in AI-mediated teaching contexts.
Methods: A qualitative research design was adopted to capture the nuanced emotional, ethical, and pedagogical experiences of EFL teachers who integrate AI tools into their instruction. Fifteen EFL teachers in Tehran, Iran, participated in semi-structured interviews and reflective journals.
Results: Thematic analysis yielded three interrelated themes of 1) Relational Presence in Algorithmic Spaces, 2) Moral Ambiguity and Emotional Labor, and 3) Pedagogical Renewal through AI Partnership.
Conclusion: The findings revealed that teachers intentionally personalized machine-generated communication to maintain emotional authenticity, navigated ethical uncertainty and affective fatigue while adapting to technological change, and reframed AI as a creative partner for enhancing empathy and reflective care. These insights show that love and ethical responsibility can be redefined by technological mediation. The study advances the AI-informed Loving Pedagogy framework, demonstrating how affective literacy, moral discernment, and critical AI awareness can coexist within sustainable digital teaching. The results have implications for teacher education and educational policy, emphasizing the need to prepare educators for the emotional, ethical, and cognitive dimensions of AI integration.
Methods: A qualitative research design was adopted to capture the nuanced emotional, ethical, and pedagogical experiences of EFL teachers who integrate AI tools into their instruction. Fifteen EFL teachers in Tehran, Iran, participated in semi-structured interviews and reflective journals.
Results: Thematic analysis yielded three interrelated themes of 1) Relational Presence in Algorithmic Spaces, 2) Moral Ambiguity and Emotional Labor, and 3) Pedagogical Renewal through AI Partnership.
Conclusion: The findings revealed that teachers intentionally personalized machine-generated communication to maintain emotional authenticity, navigated ethical uncertainty and affective fatigue while adapting to technological change, and reframed AI as a creative partner for enhancing empathy and reflective care. These insights show that love and ethical responsibility can be redefined by technological mediation. The study advances the AI-informed Loving Pedagogy framework, demonstrating how affective literacy, moral discernment, and critical AI awareness can coexist within sustainable digital teaching. The results have implications for teacher education and educational policy, emphasizing the need to prepare educators for the emotional, ethical, and cognitive dimensions of AI integration.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons — Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). |
This work is licensed under a Creative Creative Commons — Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)