AN EXAMINATION OF THE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SELF-EFFICACY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHERS: SAMPLE OF K12 EDUCATION

Recently, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has significantly changed the trends of language education. Tools such as ChatGPT or other AI-assisted language robots have been preferred by more and more language learners as they offer personalized learning facilities and real-time language practices. These technological novelties affect the role of teachers in various aspects. While some teachers easily keep up with the pace of AI-oriented tools, others may feel inadequate due to lack of knowledge or skills. This study aims to examine the AI competence self-efficacy of language teachers who teach English in K12 public schools. This is an example of mixed-method research that combines both quantitative and qualitative study. For the quantitative study, the Teacher Artificial Intelligence Competence Self-efficacy (TAICS) scale was utilized to evaluate the self-efficacy rates of the teachers. The scale consisted of 24 items and was applied to a sample of 130 teachers who teach in K12 public schools (40 at primary school, 51 at secondary school, 39 at high school). The results revealed the AI competence of the foreign language teachers on six different dimensions: AI knowledge, AI pedagogy, AI assessments, AI ethics, human-centered education, and professional engagement. There was a statistically significant difference between teachers with 1-10 years of seniority and those with more than 10 years of seniority. In all the dimensions of the scale, the novice teachers declared that they felt more AI competent than more experienced teachers. Also, there was a statistically significant difference among the categories of items in the scale. The AI knowledge scores of teachers were found to be significantly higher than those of AI pedagogy and AI assessment. On the other hand, AI assessment scores were found to be quite lower than those of human-centered education and professional engagement. It was found out that the qualitative study supported the quantitative findings. The current study unveils what foreign language teachers know and what they need to know more about AI.