From Chalkboard to Chatbot: Exploring EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of AI-Driven Questioning Strategies in the Digital Age

The growing application of artificial intelligence (AI) in education has intro-duced new learning and teaching opportunities, particularly in the context of AI-powered chatbots. This study investigated Indonesian English lan-guage lecturers' and pre-service teachers' perception towards implementing chatbots in delivering classroom ques-tions in EFL contexts. In this descriptive, mixed-methods study, 52 participants responded to an online survey containing Likert-scale and open-ended items. Quantitative results provided evidence of moderate to positive atti-tudes and responses with participants expressing interest in chatbot-assisted questioning but limited confidence in writing effective prompts. Themes identified through qualitative analysis included four broad categories: per-ceived educational value, limitations in handling deep dialogue, suitability for lower-order queries, and a strong need for institutional support and train-ing. Although teachers identified potential in chatbots to enhance engagement and effectiveness, there was concern over their potential to stimulate critical thinking and react to in-the-moment classroom discussion. These find-ings indicate the need for guided professional development and ethical standards in bringing meaningful AI application into language instruction. Keywords: AI in education, EFL, chatbot questioning, teacher perception, digital trans-formation