Navigating AI in language education: Exploring the role of online language teacher communities

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has increasingly become a major discussion topic within the field of language education, prompting teachers to adapt to this rapidly changing teaching landscape. The current research study focuses on how language teachers are preparing themselves to navigate the use of AI for educational purposes. Specifically, it aims to uncover the role of AI-focused online language teacher communities as a means to learn more about AI. A mixed-methods approach is employed, combining qualitative content analysis of community posts and self-reported data from in-depth interviews with community members and non-members, alongside descriptive data on community membership growth. This study hopes to contribute to the growing body of research on AI in language education by providing insights into how language teachers can capitalise upon online language teacher communities on Facebook, which are free and which are free and easily accessible worldwide. It will also highlight the potential of such online communities to serve as collaborative spaces for teachers to explore new technologies and enhance their practice in the age of AI.