| Exploring the mediating role of AI for bridging research-practice gap in language education |
| کد مقاله : 1113-ELTCONF6-FULL |
| نویسندگان |
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مهدی مهرانی راد * University of Neyshabur |
| چکیده مقاله |
| The persistent research-practice gap has long been a defining challenge in language education. Over 120 years ago, John Dewey highlighted this issue, cautioning against the disconnect between educational research and practice. Despite numerous attempts in both mainstream and language education to address the gap, evidence suggests it not only persists but may be widening. Unlike professional fields such as medicine or engineering, language education has yet to explore mediating systems to effectively bridge this divide. This exploratory study investigates the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) as a mediating tool to align research and practice in language education. Eight language teachers participated in 10 sessions with a researcher. During the initial two sessions, teachers were trained to use generative AI (ChatGPT-4) to support their professional development and make research-informed decisions. In subsequent sessions, participants shared experiences and brainstormed solutions to pedagogical challenges, incorporating AI to tackle these issues. Data collected from audio-recorded sessions and post-study interviews were analyzed to understand the impact of AI on participants’ engagement with research and professional growth. Findings revealed a significant increase in teachers’ research engagement. Participants highlighted AI's utility in simplifying, synthesizing, and contextualizing academic studies, offering innovative solutions to classroom challenges, and enhancing their confidence and efficiency. These results suggest that AI holds transformative potential to mediate the research-practice gap and improve professional development in language education. |
| کلیدواژه ها |
| research-practice nexus,, artificial intelligence,, mediation,, teacher education,, professional development |
| وضعیت: پذیرفته شده |
