The Role of Teacher Personality Traits in Teachers’ Acceptance of AI-Driven ELT Classroom Instruction: A Mixed-Methods Study

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more significant in the area of English language teaching (ELT), enabling educators to use innovative tools to support and improve the quality of language education. Increasing employment of AI in educational institutions necessitates understanding the related factors affecting teachers’ use of those tools in their practice. Among these factors, teacher personality remains relatively underexplored despite its potential relevance to AI-supported teaching practices. This mixed-methods study investigates the association between teacher personality preference dimensions and teachers’ acceptance of AI-driven ELT classroom instruction. The data were collected from Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers at private language institutes through an online personality test based on the ۱۶Personalities framework. Participants were classified according to four personality preference dimensions: Extraversion–Introversion, Sensing–Intuition, Thinking–Feeling, and Judging–Perceiving. Teachers’ acceptance of AI was measured using the Teacher Artificial Intelligence Acceptance Inventory (TAAI) developed by Guo, Shi, and Zhai (۲۰۲۵). Quantitative data were analyzed using the Chi-square test, while interview findings were used to provide additional insights into the quantitative results. The quantitative findings revealed varying levels of association between the four personality preference dimensions and teachers’ AI acceptance. Among the examined dimensions, Sensing–Intuition showed the strongest association with AI acceptance, while Extraversion–Introversion showed a moderate association. Thinking–Feeling showed a moderate association, whereas Judging–Perceiving showed predominantly non-significant associations. The qualitative findings revealed diverse teacher experiences, perceptions, and classroom practices regarding AI-supported ELT, providing further insight into how teachers experienced and approached AI in their instructional practice. The findings provide useful insights for teacher education, professional development, and future research on AI integration in ELT.

کلیدواژه ها:

Artificial Intelligence ، English Language Teaching ، Teacher Personality ، AI Acceptance ، EFL Teachers ، Mixed-Methods Study