CLIL and EFL Teacher Perspectives on AI-EdTech: An Exploration of Opportunities and Concerns

Artificial Intelligence-powered educational technology (AI-EdTech) is changing the way teachers plan and orchestrate lessons. The impact on teaching has been especially strong on English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) teachers, as language barriers previously limited the use of AI-EdTech such as GenAI in other languages and subjects. The present study explores the views of 13 high school teachers of EFL from Portugal, Spain, and Estonia on opportunities and concerns for educators related to AI-EdTech use. The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) instrument and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data in the 2023–24 school year. The analysis of CBAM data reveals two distinct teacher profiles. One group, consisting of ten participants, demonstrates strong interest in AI-EdTech but limited practical application. Their primary concerns centre on self-development, suggesting a need for support in implementing AI-EdTech effectively in their teaching. The other group, three teachers, exhibits a strong grasp of AI-EdTech integration into their teaching practices. Their main concerns relate to collaboration with peers. A thematic analysis of interview data reveals that teachers with little or no experience with AI-EdTech tend to restrict student use of such technology, while more experienced users tend to invent scenarios on how to foster EFL learning using such technologies, teach students to responsibly use them to support their learning, and report that AI-EdTech can reduce teacher workload. Overall, this study contributes to an understanding of how to support the responsible use of AI-EdTech in language education by identifying the opportunities and concerns of CLIL and EFL teachers.