Chinese K-12 EFL teachers’ use of AI for writing lesson planning: Cognition and Perceptions in Practice

Abstract Understanding teachers’ lesson preparation processes serves as an essential approach to grasping pedagogical practices, especially in such a digital age. Under these circumstances, it appears very necessary to explore how exactly EFL teachers prepare and perceive their potential L2 writing lessons using the GenAI tool. To address this major concern, this study employed the think-aloud approach and retrospective interview to explore the 10 Chinese K-12 EFL teachers’ cognitive processes of lesson planning for L2 writing with the assistance of GhatGPT-4. Research findings indicate that Chinese English teachers prioritize the planning of learning content most frequently during their lesson preparation process, followed by reflection on student-related considerations. The planning of learning activities ranks third in terms of cognitive frequency. Regarding the perceptions, teachers demonstrated more negative than positive perceptions towards AI, with only 37.8% of evaluations acknowledging its advantages. The most prominent perceived strength of Gen AI lies in its rich theoretical knowledge base as recognized by teachers. However, 62.2% of negative evaluations criticize its limitations, particularly teachers’ perception that Gen AI generates content that is generic, rigid, and lacking in creativity.