Towards AI Literacy in L1 Education: Examining L1 Teachers’ Beliefs About Generative AI

Abstract Since its public release in 2022, generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has made a profound impact on language education. Studies examining teacher beliefs about GenAI have been conducted in the fields of STEM, social studies, and L2 education, but not to a great extent in L1 education. It is important to consider L1 teachers’ beliefs and understand how GenAI is currently affecting the different domains of L1 education. In this study, L1 teachers’ beliefs about the use of GenAI in secondary education were examined. The exploratory survey study included 124 L1 teachers from Dutch secondary schools. Data reveal that GenAI is broadly discussed in schools and used by most students, but adequate policies and teaching materials on GenAI are scarce. Significant variations were found across different levels of secondary education. L1 teachers showed a moderate degree of acceptance towards the use of GenAI, and they expressed different degrees of concern towards problematic aspects of GenAI usage. They were considering both challenges and possibilities for GenAI integration, most notably in the domain of writing instruction. More efforts are needed to inform L1 teachers that a critical reflection on GenAI could be accomplished in other domains within L1 education, such as linguistics and literature education.