Assessing the Empowering Efficacy and Perceived Pedagogical Prospects of ChatGPT in the Saudi Arabian Context: A Mixed Method Study

Open AI's ChatGPT is getting a wider currency in educational institutions across the globe. It is immensely popular among learners and instructors due to its immense potential to generate different texts, answer questions, offer instant feedback, and be tailored to an individual's specific needs using advanced AI technology. However, the perspectives of EFL instructors on the efficacy of ChatGPT remain largely unexplored. Therefore, this study seeks to assess the potential of ChatGPT as an empowering tool and the perceived pedagogical prospects and educational opportunities in the specific context of Saudi Arabia. A questionnaire with self-designed items and partial adoption of modified items was sent to EFL instructors working in different universities in Saudi Arabia. While thematic analysis was used to analyze qualitative data, descriptive statistics was used to analyze quantitative data. The findings revealed that EFL instructors viewed ChatGPT as a potent resource for pedagogical opportunities and for delivering outstanding language instruction to their students. The study also found that ChatGPT contributed to instructors’ professional development and fostered collaborative learning and innovative teaching practices. Respondents also believed technology-powered instruction undermined traditional learning resources and hampered analytical and creative skills. The findings also revealed that technologically driven education was quite unlikely to replace human instructors though it caused stress and anxiety among language learners. The study holds immense pedagogical implications and offers educational opportunities. The findings will help language instructors and policymakers reinvent themselves and integrate digital technologies to empower language learners.