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The evolution of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) technologies (e.g., ChatGPT, BingChat, Dalle-E, and MidJourney), with a particular focus on ChatGPT, has sparked heated discussion concerning their impact on education. Since its release in November 2022 by OpenAI, ChatGPT has attracted millions of users, and in interactions with them, it has generated natural conversations (Grant & Metz, 2022; OpenAI, 2022). Technology-enhanced language learning has demonstrated an ability to positively affect learners’ performance and engagement (Golonka et al., 2014), and unsurprisingly, within a few short months of ChatGPT’s debut, a plethora of research had already begun to investigate ChatGPT’s potentials, pitfalls, and challenges by examining the perspectives of various stakeholders, including students (e.g., Chan & Hu, 2023), English as a foreign language (EFL) instructors (e.g., Mohamed, 2023), and social media influencers such as YouTubers (e.g., Li et al., 2023b). Studies have explored a diversity of topics, such as the integration of ChatGPT into EFL writing education (e.g., Han et al., 2023), the generation of chatbot dialogues for EFL purposes (e.g., Young & Shishido, 2023), and the application of ChatGPT for multilingual purposes (e.g., Li et al., 2023a).
ChatGPT has been widely described as a “game changer” (Gao et al., 2023), and its debut has given rise to various opportunities and challenges in the realm of language education (as well as in various other domains), spanning pedagogical, ethical, and technological dimensions. Both Kohnke et al. (2023) and Li et al. (2023b) explored how ChatGPT can be employed for language teaching and learning and highlighted the heightened need to prioritize the development of teachers’ digital competence in light of this digital advancement. More specifically, teachers need to enhance their technological proficiency, pedagogical compatibility, and social awareness to effectively harness ChatGPT—these are skills they presently lack to a certain extent (Kohnke et al., 2023). Li et al. (2023b) proposed that technical proficiency, clear prompt formulation, contextual awareness, critical thinking, instructional design expertise, ethical usage, and a commitment to lifelong learning are key competencies educators must possess.
Teaching is a highly complex activity that draws upon diverse forms of knowledge, and teacher knowledge and learning experiences play a crucial role in their capacity to incorporate technologies into teaching (e.g., Hughes, 2005; Lam, 2000; Thoms, 2011). As informed by the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) model (Mishra et al., 2011), teacher knowledge consists of technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge, which can be developed through both informal learning (e.g., self-initiated, peer collaboration, or book-based) and formal learning (e.g., pre- or in-service training). Although GenAI holds considerable promise in the areas of language teaching and learning, its novelty leaves much unknown about teachers’ GenAI-related learning process. Some studies have focused on teacher perceptions of GenAI as a novel tool (e.g., Mohamed, 2023) and the relationship between ChatGPT and teachers (e.g., Jeon & Lee, 2023), but few efforts have been directed at understanding these processes and how they influence teachers’ decisions regarding whether and how to utilize GenAI. To fill this research gap, this study adopted a qualitative, context-specific approach to investigate how teacher knowledge and self-learning experience affect novice teachers’ (i.e., graduate student instructors; GSIs) perceptions of and intention to use GenAI, specifically ChatGPT, in the courses they may teach in the future.