Exploring the Role of <scp>GenAI</scp> Literacy and Readiness in Chinese <scp>EFL</scp> Teachers' Character Strength: A Structural Equation Modelling ( <scp>SEM</scp> ) Analysis

ABSTRACT Different studies have been conducted on various aspects of Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption in second/foreign language (L2) education. However, the role of Generative AI (GenAI) literacy and readiness in English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers' personality traits has remained unclear so far. To fill this gap, the present quantitative study examined the correlation among and predictive power of teachers' GenAI literacy, AI readiness and character strengths. A total of 612 Chinese EFL teachers completed three questionnaires. The results of structural equation modelling (SEM) and correlation analysis indicated a significant and positive correlation among the three constructs of GenAI literacy, AI readiness and character strengths. Additionally, it was found that GenAI literacy and AI readiness could collectively predict 38% of the variance in EFL teachers' character strengths. The study accentuates character‐centred professional development programs for EFL teachers regarding the adoption of GenAI technologies in L2 education.