Motivations for Incorporating Artificial Intelligence in ELT ‎Research: Perspectives from Iranian Researchers

Abstract

Because of its amazing potential, artificial intelligence (AI) is being used more and more across a range of fields. In the field of English language teaching (ELT), the application of AI techniques has grown recently. Given the increasing prominence of AI in ELT research, it is imperative to get an understanding of the rationale and motivations underlying its application, especially as perceived by ELT researchers. Fifteen Iranian ELT researchers who had published research articles in the last five years were interviewed to obtain more understanding of this issue. The data from the interviews was subjected to thematic analysis. The results showed several important justifications for using AI in ELT research publications. In particular, AI allowed researchers to analyse vast amounts of data quickly and effectively, spot grammatical mistakes, and paraphrase, reduce plagiarism, cut down on research expenses and time, evaluate data objectively, and produce fresh concepts and viewpoints. As a result, AI has shown to be a useful tool for ELT academics to investigate novel topics and unearth new information, thus expanding the field. This study's educational implications include the possibility that AI technology could improve the general caliber of research articles published in ELT through a variety of channels.