A Comparative Study of the British Council on Artificial Intelligence in English Language Teaching

Patrick Mthethwa, University of Eswatini

Abstract

This study is a partial extension of a British Council study conducted on the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in English language teaching across many regions of the world. The British Council study can be found on ResearchGate. This current study investigates pre-service teachers’ views on the role of artificial intelligence in English language teaching in Eswatini, Southern Africa. Artificial intelligence has brought about many uncertainties in education in general and English language teaching in particular. The role of artificial intelligence in teaching and learning English is marred by speculations regarding its role in both learning and teaching. Fifty pre-service teachers participated in the study. There were sixteen males and thirty-four females. They completed a four-point anchored survey questionnaire on seventeen constructs, including gender, age, and year of study. The survey had the following anchors: strongly disagree, disagree, agree, and strongly agree. Data was analysed using SPSS descriptive statistics. Frequencies, mean, and standard deviation were major considerations of the study. The results revealed that participants had different views regarding artificial intelligence and English language teaching (ELT). On certain constructs, the participants’ views on the role of AI in ELT were positive, while other constructs were negative. These findings have implications for teaching and learning, including the training of English language teachers on AI and its role in ELT.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, English language, teaching, technology