ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Language, Culture and Diversity
Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1611147
"They Know AI, But They Also Know Us": Student Perceptions of EFL Teacher Identity in AI-Enhanced Classrooms in Jordan
Provisionally accepted
- The University of Jordan, Aljubeiha, Jordan
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This qualitative study explores undergraduate student perceptions regarding how artificial intelligence (AI) integration influences the professional identity of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers at the University of Jordan. Through semi-structured interviews with 20 third-and fourth-year students, the research identifies key themes related to teacher roles, authority, and interpersonal dynamics in AI-enhanced classrooms. The thematic analysis reveals students' appreciation for AI's efficiency and linguistic accuracy, alongside a continued emphasis on essential human qualities, such as empathy and culturally relevant pedagogy. While students recognize the shifting instructional roles due to AI usage, they also express concerns about reduced teacher-student interaction and overly mechanical teaching approaches. This study contributes context-specific insights into the nuanced interplay between technology and teacher identity, underscoring the importance of a balanced and critically engaged approach to integrating AI into language education. Implications for teacher training and educational policy, particularly within Jordanian higher education, are discussed.
Keywords: teacher identity, artificial intelligence, EFL education, Student perceptions, Digital pedagogy, Jordan, sociocultural theory, emotioncy
Received: 13 Apr 2025; Accepted: 03 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Almashour, Aldamen and Jarrah. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Mohamad Almashour, The University of Jordan, Aljubeiha, Jordan
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