Modeling pre-service efl teachers' attitudes toward Artificial Intelligence in language education

چکیده مقاله

Although there has been a lot of interest in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in language instruction, yet research on pre-service English as a Foreign Language teachers' (PSEFLTs) attitude toward AI remains limited. This study investigates the key determinants influencing PSEFLTs' attitudes toward AI integration in language education, focusing on perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, AI confidence, perceived benefits of AI in teaching, and subjective norms. Utilizing a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach, data were collected from 128 PSEFLTs across three teacher education universities in Iran. The findings reveal that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, subjective norms, and perceived benefits of AI in teaching significantly shape PSEFLTs' attitudes toward AI, while AI confidence did not have a statistically significant effect. These findings highlight how crucial it is to implement focused teacher training programs in order to improve future educators' confidence and proficiency with AI integration. With its practical recommendations for policymakers and teacher educators in creating AI-focused curricula that meet pedagogical objectives, the study adds to the ongoing conversation on AI in education. © Editions of the University of Murcia & MIDE. The works are published in the electronic edition of the journal under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 Spain license (legal text). They may be copied, used, disseminated, transmitted, and publicly displayed, provided that: (i) the original authorship and source of the publication (journal, publishers, and URL of the work) are cited; (ii) are not used for commercial purposes; iii) the existence and specifications of this license of use are mentioned.