Teachers’ AI Competence Self-Efficacy and Pedagogical Use of Generative AI in Iranian EFL Classrooms: A Mixed-Methods Investigation

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is becoming increasingly visible in language education and is beginning to shape how EFL teachers prepare lessons, develop materials, and support classroom activities. Despite the rapid growth of research in this area, less is known about how teachers’ AI competence self-efficacy is connected to their actual pedagogical use of GenAI, particularly in Iranian EFL classrooms. This mixed-methods study examined whether and to what extent teachers’ AI competence self-efficacy was associated with their pedagogical use of GenAI in the Iranian EFL context. Quantitative data were collected through two questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with a subset of participants to gain a fuller understanding of their experiences with GenAI in teaching. The findings showed a strong positive association between AI competence self-efficacy and pedagogical use of GenAI (r =.۸۵۶, p <.۰۰۱). Regression analysis also showed a significant positive predictive effect, with AI competence self-efficacy accounting for ۷۳.۲% of the variance in pedagogical use (R² =.۷۳۲, p <.۰۰۱). When the six competence dimensions were examined together, AI Knowledge, AI Pedagogy, AI Ethics, Human-Centered Education, and Professional Engagement made significant positive contributions, whereas AI Assessment did not reach statistical significance. The interviews showed that teachers mainly viewed GenAI as a practical support for lesson planning, teaching-material development, classroom activities, creativity, and student engagement. At the same time, they described AI-based assessment as a more difficult area and pointed to the need for practical training, ethical guidance, and institutional support. Overall, the findings suggest that teachers’ AI competence self-efficacy is closely related to how they use GenAI in their pedagogical work and that strengthening relevant areas of teacher competence may support more effective and informed use of GenAI in EFL education. The study adds context-specific evidence from Iranian EFL classrooms and offers practical implications for teacher education and professional development in AI-supported language teaching.

کلیدواژه ها:

Artificial Intelligence ، Generative AI ، Teacher AI Competence Self-Efficacy ، EFL Teachers ، Pedagogical Use ، Mixed Methods Study