Artificial Intelligence in English for Specific Purposes: What do University Teachers Think?

11th International Scientific Conference Technics, Informatics and Education – TIE 2026, (pp. 504-512)

 

AUTOR(I) / AUTHOR(S): Lena Tica

  

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.46793/TIE26.504T

SAŽETAK /ABSTRACT:

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping English Language Teaching (ELT), creating new opportunities for lesson planning, material development, feedback, and assessment. Previous research has primarily focused on AI adoption and students’ use of AI, while teachers’ perceptions, particularly in English for Specific Purposes (ESP), remain underexplored. This qualitative study explores university ESP teachers’ perceptions of AI in language teaching and its implications for their professional practice and identity. Data were collected through an online qualitative questionnaire completed by 17 university-level ESP teachers from Serbia and analyzed using thematic analysis. Thematic analysis identified four overarching themes: (1) operational efficiency and the “Digital Assistant” paradigm, (2) the reliability gap and challenges to student agency, (3) the irreplaceability of the “human touch” in pedagogy, (4) the need for ethical and technical training. The findings indicate that participants perceive AI as a valuable pedagogical assistant that enhances efficiency and creativity while emphasizing that empathy, professional judgment, and interpersonal relationships remain central to effective teaching. Although AI is seen as reshaping classroom practice, it is not perceived as a replacement for teachers but as a tool requiring informed and ethical use.

KLJUČNE REČI / KEYWORDS: 

artificial intelligence; English language teaching; ESP; teacher perceptions; qualitative research; thematic analysis

PROJEKAT / ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

This study was supported by the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia, and these results are parts of the Grant No. 451-03-34/2026-03/200132, with University of Kragujevac – Faculty of Technical Sciences Čačak.

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