Analyzing ChatGPT's Sustainability as a Language Learning Tool: Saudi EFL Learners' Perspectives, Problems and Pedagogical Prospects

The study assessed Saudi EFL students' perspectives on ChatGPT's incorporation into EFL classrooms for language acquisition and instruction, challenges and barriers, and pedagogical prospects. 212 respondents were randomly selected from different stages of the undergraduate programs at the College of Business Administration and College of Science & Humanities, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, KSA. A questionnaire with self-designed and partially incorporated items from existing studies was utilised to collect the data from the respondents. The data was analyzed quantitatively using descriptive statistics. It was found that Saudi EFL learners held an immensely favorable perspective on the efficacy of ChatGPT incorporation into EFL classrooms. It was also found that ChatGPT-powered classrooms posed certain challenges such as erroneous results, plagiarism and reproduction, professional integrity, listening and speaking, failure to think critically, and incapability to understand cultural and psychological contexts embedded in idioms and language expressions. However, it was also found that ChatGPT, despite its limitations, offers significant educational implications as it can satisfy learners' specific needs better than conventional language learning and teaching methods.