Research on the Current Situation, Challenges, and Improvement Strategies for the Digital Teaching Competence of English Teachers in Higher Vocational Colleges Amidst the Background of Artificial Intelligence

In the context of the increasingly prevalent digital teaching and learning, this study selected ChatGPT as a typical case and conducted an in-depth questionnaire survey on 59 English teachers. The survey covered a number of key dimensions such as teachers’ attitudes towards digital teaching tools such as ChatGPT, their actual use status, and the current status of their teaching competence. The results of the study revealed that English teachers encountered a series of challenges in their digital teaching practices, including: limitations in integrating diverse digital teaching resources, relatively low frequency of digital teaching tools, lack of sufficient self-confidence in adopting digital teaching tools, concerns about students’ ability to learn on their own, and an urgent need to receive professional training on digital tools. In response to the above problems, this study further proposes a series of targeted strategies and suggestions, aiming to provide English teachers with reference for better adapting to the digital teaching environment and improving the quality of teaching.