Speaker
Description
This study examines English language teachers’ perceptions of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in El Salvador, exploring their awareness, usage, benefits, challenges, and concerns. In December 2024, a survey was distributed to 1,570 preservice and in-service teachers in Teachers Up, a nationwide professional network supporting English language educators in El Salvador, yielding 136 responses. Additionally, 12 teachers participated in focus groups.
Findings indicate that while 57% of respondents are somewhat familiar with AI in language teaching, only 39% have integrated AI tools into their practice. Teachers recognize AI’s potential to create content and provide feedback, yet they express concerns about student over-reliance, the accuracy of AI-generated content. Most teachers view AI as a complementary tool rather than a replacement for human instruction, recommend always reviewing AI-generated materials before use, and emphasize the need for professional development and methodological guidelines. Additionally, they highlight issues with repetitive AI-generated content, the ease of identifying AI-produced work, and the need for critical evaluation of AI outputs. Finally, a lack of institutional training and clear policies further limits AI’s effective implementation.
This presentation benefits English language teachers, teacher educators, policymakers, CALL developers, and researchers.
