Exploring Overreliance on AI Tools in English for Specific Purposes Courses: Challenges and Implications for Learning and Academic Integrity

The growing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in education has generated considerable interest in their potential effects on students’ learning outcomes, especially within the context of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses. This study explores how ESP teachers perceive and manage the impact of AI tools on student learning, particularly in writing, vocabulary development, reading comprehension, and problem-solving. The study focuses on the following primary research question: How do teachers perceive and navigate the impact of the tools on student learning outcomes and academic integrity in ESP courses? The research study employed a qualitative approach to investigate the impact of tools on English teaching and learning. The data collection involved 16 ESP university teachers from three faculties. A structured questionnaire was developed based on a comprehensive review of relevant literature with three main dimensions: (1) academic integrity concerns, (2) overreliance on AI that hinders learning outcomes, and (3) challenges of integrating AI into ESP teaching and learning. The study findings reveal that students’ overreliance on artificial intelligence tools negatively affects language skill development, engagement, academic integrity, contextual understanding, and collaborative learning. One of the primary recommendations was to determine the specific boundaries for using AI, and to view AI as an academic aid, not a replacement.