Attitudes and perceptions: the role of artificial intelligence in the training of future secondary school foreign language teachers

Noelia Mª Galán-Rodríguez; María Bobadilla-Pérez; Eduardo Barros-Grela

doi:10.1590/1983-3652.2025.51692

Authors

Noelia Mª Galán-Rodríguez Universidade da Coruña, College of Education, Department of Specific Teaching Training and Research and Diagnosis Methods in Education, A Coruña, Spain https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6662-7269
María Bobadilla-Pérez Universidade da Coruña, College of Education, Department of Specific Teaching Training and Research and Diagnosis Methods in Education, A Coruña, Spain https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4972-5980
Eduardo Barros-Grela Universidade da Coruña, College of Arts and Letters, Department of English, A Coruña, Spain https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7533-5580

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/1983-3652.2025.51692

Keywords:

Foreign language teaching, Artificial intelligence, Secondary Education, TWEE, Pedagogical perspectives

Abstract

This study explores prospective foreign language teachers’ attitudes towards integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into their teaching practices, focusing on the TWEE tool. Using a mixed-methods approach, data from 29 pre-service secondary school teachers in Spain were analyzed using SWOT analysis to assess TWEE’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Internal strengths include resource variety and practicality, while weaknesses involve interface issues and language constraints. External opportunities include quick activity creation, while threats center on ethical concerns and teacher redundancy risks. Despite concerns, participants generally express a positive attitude towards AI, acknowledging its potential to enhance written tasks, motivation, and technological literacy. Pedagogical implications underscore the need for a balanced AI integration approach, considering accessibility and ethical concerns. Further research is suggested to explore AI tool implementation in classrooms. This study contributes to understanding AI’s role in language education and informs strategic planning for its integration.

Author Biographies

Noelia Mª Galán-Rodríguez, Universidade da Coruña, College of Education, Department of Specific Teaching Training and Research and Diagnosis Methods in Education, A Coruña, Spain

Noelia Mª Galán-Rodríguez holds a Ph D from the University of A Coruña, University of Santiago de Compostela and University of Vigo on Advanced English Studies. She teaches Foreign Language Teaching and Methodologies at the School of Education (Universidade da Coruña) and English courses at UNED. Her research interests are affective and cognitive factors in FL learning, plurilingualism, intertextuality, transmedia narratives and popular culture.
María Bobadilla-Pérez, Universidade da Coruña, College of Education, Department of Specific Teaching Training and Research and Diagnosis Methods in Education, A Coruña, Spain

María Bobadilla-Pérez is an Associate Professor in the Department of Department of Specific Didactics and Research Methods at the University of A Coruna (Spain). She teaches different courses of Foreign Language Teaching and Bilingual/Plurilingual Education. She received a Ph.D. in Languages and Literature at the State University of New York (2004) and has a Ph.D. in the same area from the University Complutense of Madrid (2006). As an interdisciplinary researcher, her main field of studies are concerned with Second Language Acquisition, Bilingual and Plurilingual Education and Didactics of Language, Literatures and Culture. Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4972-5980. Author ID: 56716457000 .
Eduardo Barros-Grela, Universidade da Coruña, College of Arts and Letters, Department of English, A Coruña, Spain

EDUARDO BARROS GRELA (Universidade da Coruña) teaches literature and culture, and is interested in film, space and place in the Humanities, Irish Studies and Contemporary American Fiction.

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