Reflexive Thematic Analysis Across Unequal Educational Contexts: Methodological Lessons

Recent scholarship on the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in education has increasingly emphasized its potential to transform teaching and learning. However, less attention has been given to how AI use is interpreted, mediated, and adapted across unequal educational contexts. This study examines how English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers mediate AI integration across three Indonesian districts representing relatively higher-, intermediate-, and lower-resource literacy contexts, and reflects on the methodological implications of conducting qualitative inquiry in such diverse settings. Employing a multi-site qualitative design, the study drew on three complementary data sources: a background questionnaire containing open-ended responses, Professional Learning Community (PLC) observations, and semi-structured interviews with 18 teachers. Data were analysed through Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA) and context-sensitive cross-site comparison. Consistent with an interpretive orientation, themes were constructed through iterative engagement with the data, researcher reflexivity, and comparison across sites rather than being treated as objectively discovered patterns. The analysis generated three interrelated themes: teacher-driven and purpose-oriented AI use, negotiation of pedagogical and ethical risks, and contextually differentiated pathways of AI integration. Teachers in the relatively higher-resource literacy context described more integrated and student-facing uses of AI; those in the intermediate-resource literacy context reported more selective and supplementary use; while those in the relatively lower-resource literacy context primarily used AI for lesson preparation and offline adaptation. These differences indicate that AI integration is shaped by teacher agency, as well as by infrastructure, digital culture, and institutional support. Methodologically, the study demonstrates the value of combining multi-source qualitative data, Reflexive Thematic Analysis, researcher reflexivity, and cross-site comparison to examine educational technology practices across unequal settings. It also shows how contextual asymmetries can be treated as analytical resources rather than methodological limitations, offering transferable insights for multi-site qualitative research in diverse educational environments.