Exploring the Role of Chinese <scp>EFL</scp> Teachers' Interpersonal Behaviours in Their Students' Acceptance and Adoption of <scp>AI</scp> Tools Through the Lens of Technology Acceptance Model ( <scp>TAM</scp> )

ABSTRACT The influence of teachers on the acceptance of educational technologies has been largely highlighted in the literature. However, the way their interpersonal behaviours mediate students' acceptance and adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies has received limited attention. To address the gap, this study drew on the technology acceptance model (TAM) to examine such interplay in the context of China. To do so, 103 Chinese English as a foreign language (EFL) students were interviewed online. The findings, obtained from manual thematic analysis, indicated that teachers' interpersonal behaviours affected Chinese EFL students' AI acceptance and adoption in five ways, namely by showcasing practical values of AI, establishing a positive learning environment, increasing ease of use, reducing negative AI‐induced emotions and encouraging autonomy and reflectivity. A comprehensive discussion of the findings is provided along with a list of implications on different grounds for EFL teachers, students and trainers augmenting their familiarity with innovative educational technologies in L2 education.