The findings suggest that AI literacy is associated with higher self-efficacy and engagement, which is in turn linked to lower teaching-related anxiety, which point to the importance of integrating AI literacy training alongside psychological and motivational support strategies in teacher development programs, particularly within the evolving landscape of AI-driven education.
Abstract
Introduction This study explores the impact of AI literacy on high school EFL teachers' teaching anxiety, with a particular focus on the underlying psychological mechanisms. As AI technologies become increasingly embedded in educational contexts, teachers are expected to adapt to new digital tools. While AI literacy may offer practical benefits, its relationship with teaching anxiety through psychological and motivational pathways remains underexplored. This study aims to fill this gap by examining the serial mediation roles of teaching self-efficacy and work engagement in the relationship between AI literacy and teaching anxiety. Methods A quantitative research design was employed to examine the hypothesized relationships. Data were collected from a sample of 392 high school English teachers in China using 5-point Likert scales. The responses were analyzed using SmartPLS to conduct partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The analysis included assessments of measurement model reliability and validity, followed by structural model evaluation. Mediation effects were tested through bootstrapping, and the Variance Accounted For (VAF) was calculated to assess the strength of indirect effects. While most serial mediation studies use SPSS with PROCESS, this study employed PLS-SEM, a relatively novel approach in educational research, to explore chain mediation. Results The results revealed that AI literacy negatively affected teaching anxiety, with higher AI literacy linked to lower anxiety. Both teaching self-efficacy and work engagement mediated this relationship, with self-efficacy serving as a stronger mediator. A significant serial mediation pathway was found: AI literacy was associated with higher self-efficacy, which in turn was related to increased work engagement and lower teaching anxiety. Discussions The results provide support for the proposed hypotheses and highlight the significant role of AI literacy in relation to psychological well being among EFL teachers. The findings suggest that AI literacy is associated with higher self-efficacy and engagement, which are in turn linked to lower teaching-related anxiety. These findings point to the importance of integrating AI literacy training alongside psychological and motivational support strategies in teacher development programs, particularly within the evolving landscape of AI-driven education.
Background As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly integrated into education, fostering student creativity is a critical priority. While prior research suggests a positive link between AI literacy and creative self-efficacy, the underlying psychological mechanisms and key contextual factors remain largely unexplored. This study aimed to address this gap by examining the mediating roles of learning adaptability (cognitive, behavioral, and emotional) and the moderating role of teacher support in this relationship. Methods A total of 509 university engineering students (68.6% male; M age = 19.36 years) participated in a survey. They completed validated measures of AI literacy, learning adaptability, teacher support, and creative self-efficacy. A moderated mediation model was tested using statistical analysis. Results The findings indicated a significant positive association between AI literacy and creative self-efficacy. This relationship was significantly mediated by behavioral and emotional adaptability, but not by cognitive adaptability. Furthermore, teacher support moderated the positive effect of AI literacy on emotional adaptability; this effect was stronger for students who perceived higher levels of teacher support. Conclusion The study advances a nuanced model demonstrating that AI literacy enhances creative confidence primarily by fostering a willingness to act (behavioral adaptability) and bolstering emotional resilience (emotional adaptability). Teacher support is identified as a crucial contextual resource that amplifies this positive process. These findings offer valuable insights for educators and policymakers aiming to design interventions that maximize the creative potential of AI in learning environments.
Lu Pan, Xue Shuang, Yiping Liu· Frontiers in Psychology· 0 citations
Purpose: The growing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI)-based assessment in higher education has created new opportunities to enhance learning evaluation. However, empirical evidence explaining how students’ digital literacy and self-efficacy relate to AI-based assessment use and perceived academic performance remains limited, particularly in developing higher education contexts. This study examined the structural relationships among digital literacy, self-efficacy, AI-based assessment use, and perceived academic performance among university students.Method: A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted using purposive sampling involving 100 undergraduate students from five teacher education programs at Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama Lampung, Indonesia. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire comprising multi-item measures of digital literacy, self-efficacy, AI-based assessment use, and perceived academic performance. The proposed structural relationships were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM).Findings: The results indicated that digital literacy was positively associated with self-efficacy and AI-based assessment use. Self-efficacy showed a significant positive relationship with perceived academic performance and emerged as the strongest predictor of this construct. In contrast, AI-based assessment use and digital literacy were not directly associated with perceived academic performance. These findings suggest that students’ psychological readiness plays a more important role than technology use alone in explaining perceived academic performance within AI-supported assessment environments.Significance: Unlike previous studies that primarily emphasize technology acceptance or technological effectiveness, this study integrates digital literacy and self-efficacy within a structural model of AI-based assessment use to explain students’ perceived academic performance in an Indonesian higher education context. The findings provide practical implications for higher education institutions seeking to strengthen students’ digital competencies and self-efficacy to support the effective implementation of AI-based assessment.
This study investigates the impact of knowledge of artificial intelligence (AI), AI-related anxiety, and digital literacy on the career self-efficacy of pre-service teachers at a Nigerian public university. Specifically, the study examined the relationships among Al knowledge, Al anxiety, digital literacy, and career self-efficacy, as well as the mediating role of digital literacy in the relationship between Al anxiety and career self-efficacy. A correlational research design was adopted. The study involved 470 pre-service teachers drawn from the Faculty of Education of the sampled university. Data were collected using validated instruments. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize participants’ characteristics, while Pearson Product-Moment Correlation and multiple regression analyses were employed to analyse the data. The findings reveal a significant positive relationship between AI knowledge, digital literacy, and career self-efficacy, with AI anxiety having a significant negative relationship with career self-efficacy. Further results demonstrate that digital literacy significantly mediated the relationship between Al anxiety and career self-efficacy, such that higher digital literacy reduced the negative effect of Al anxiety on career self-efficacy. This study concludes that AI knowledge and digital literacy play crucial roles in enhancing pre-service teachers’ career self-efficacy, while AI anxiety is a significant psychological barrier. Digital literacy serves as a protective mechanism that buffers the adverse effects of AI anxiety on career-related confidence. The findings underscore the need for teacher education programmes to integrate structured Al education and digital literacy training into their curricula.
C. H. Joseph, M. P. Osiesi, N. Madikizela-Madiya et al.· SN Social Sciences· 0 citations
Purpose Learner engagement is central to effective EFL learning, yet limited research has examined how AI literacy contributes to students' engagement in AI-enhanced language classrooms. Drawing on the growing recognition of emotion in technology-mediated learning, this study investigates whether foreign language enjoyment (FLE) functions as an affective mechanism through which AI literacy influences foreign language classroom engagement (FCE). Design The study was conducted with 269 undergraduate students enrolled in AI-enhanced English courses at a Chinese university. This study integrated two complementary methodological approaches. First, structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to explore the mediating role of FLE in the relationship between AI literacy (AIL) and classroom engagement. Second, latent profile analysis (LPA) was utilized to categorize students into homogeneous subgroups based on their FLE levels. Findings SEM results showed that AI literacy significantly predicted foreign language enjoyment, which in turn positively predicted classroom engagement. The findings supported the mediating role of FLE in the relationship between AI literacy and classroom engagement. LPA identified two distinct learner profiles: a High-FLE group and a Low-FLE group. Learners in the High-FLE profile reported significantly higher levels of positive affect and classroom engagement, whereas those in the Low-FLE profile demonstrated lower enjoyment and weaker participation in AI-assisted learning activities. Value This study advances research on AI-enhanced language learning by conceptualizing foreign language enjoyment as a key affective pathway linking AI literacy to classroom engagement. It reveals both the emotional mechanisms and learner heterogeneity underlying engagement in AI-integrated EFL classrooms. The findings offer pedagogical insights for designing emotionally responsive and pedagogically innovative AI-supported language learning environments.
Dongxue Bao, Juan Du· Frontiers in Psychology· 0 citations
The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education has raised questions about how technological competencies influence student outcomes, particularly in foreign language learning where anxiety significantly affects performance. This study investigated whether foreign language anxiety (FLA) mediates the relationship between AI literacy (AIL) and academic engagement (AE) among 1,052 English as a foreign language (EFL) learners enrolled in foreign language programs at Al-Azhar University, Egypt. Participants completed three validated instruments: the artificial intelligence literacy scale (AILS), the short-form foreign language classroom anxiety scale (S-FLCAS), and the academic engagement scale (AES). Mediation analysis was conducted using PROCESS Model 4 with 5,000 bootstrap iterations to generate bias-corrected confidence intervals (CI). Correlation analyses revealed that AIL positively correlated with AE (r=.31, p<.001) and negatively with FLA (r=-.35, p<.001), while anxiety demonstrated a significant negative correlation with engagement (r=-.21, p<.001). Mediation analysis confirmed that FLA partially mediated the AIL –engagement relationship, with the indirect effect accounting for 12.2% of the total effect and the direct effect comprising the remaining 87.8%. These findings indicate that AIL enhances AE both directly and indirectly through anxiety reduction, suggesting that institutions should develop comprehensive AIL programs that address both technical skills and the affective dimensions of technology integration in language learning contexts.
A. Ibrahim, Mohamed Megahed Nasreldeen, Hesham Hussein Yakout et al.· International Journal of Eva...· 0 citations
This study investigates the predictive relationships between Students' Perceived Teacher Attitude, Student-Teacher Relationship, and Student Engagement in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classes at SMKN 01 Bombana, Indonesia. Student engagement is considered a critical factor in language learning success, particularly in vocational school contexts where learners often show low motivation and limited perceived relevance of English for future careers. The study aims to examine how teacher-related factors contribute to student engagement both individually and jointly. A quantitative explanatory design was employed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with the assistance of SmartPLS software. The sample consisted of 193 students from Grades 10 to 12, selected through total population sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale. The results show that both predictor variables significantly influence student engagement. Students' Perceived Teacher Attitude has a positive and significant effect on Student Engagement (β = 0.377, t = 4.962, p < 0.001), and Student-Teacher Relationship also has a positive and significant effect (β = 0.386, t = 5.697, p < 0.001). The model explains 50.5% of the variance in Student Engagement (R² = 0.505), indicating moderate explanatory power. Among the two predictors, Student-Teacher Relationship demonstrates a slightly stronger influence. The study concludes that student engagement in EFL classes is strongly shaped by both teacher attitude and relationship quality, highlighting the importance of interpersonal and affective dimensions in language learning, particularly in vocational education settings.
ABSTRAK
Penelitian ini mengkaji hubungan prediktif antara sikap guru yang dipersepsikan siswa, hubungan Guru-Siswa, dan keterlibatan siswa dalam kelas bahasa Inggris sebagai bahasa asing (EFL) di SMKN 01 Bombana, Indonesia. Keterlibatan siswa dipandang sebagai faktor penting dalam keberhasilan pembelajaran bahasa, terutama dalam konteks sekolah kejuruan yang sering menunjukkan motivasi rendah dan persepsi relevansi bahasa Inggris yang terbatas bagi karier siswa. Penelitian ini bertujuan menguji sejauh mana faktor-faktor terkait guru memengaruhi keterlibatan siswa, baik secara individual maupun secara bersama-sama. Desain penelitian yang digunakan adalah kuantitatif eksplanatori dengan analisis Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) melalui perangkat lunak SmartPLS. Sampel penelitian berjumlah 193 siswa kelas 10 hingga 12 yang dipilih melalui teknik total population sampling. Data dikumpulkan menggunakan kuesioner terstruktur dengan skala Likert lima poin. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa kedua variabel prediktor berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap keterlibatan siswa. Sikap guru yang dipersepsikan siswa berpengaruh positif dan signifikan (β = 0,377, t = 4,962, p < 0,001), demikian pula hubungan Guru-Siswa (β = 0,386, t = 5,697, p < 0,001). Model penelitian menjelaskan 50,5% varians Keterlibatan Siswa (R² = 0,505), yang menunjukkan kekuatan penjelas model yang moderat. Di antara kedua prediktor, hubungan Guru-Siswa menunjukkan pengaruh yang sedikit lebih kuat. Penelitian ini menyimpulkan bahwa keterlibatan siswa dalam kelas EFL sangat dipengaruhi oleh sikap guru maupun kualitas hubungan guru-siswa, sehingga menegaskan pentingnya dimensi interpersonal dan afektif dalam pembelajaran bahasa, khususnya pada konteks pendidikan kejuruan.
