Exploring the role of generative AI in pre-service English teachers’ professional learning: a metaphor analysis

Through the lens of metaphors, this study explores how 13 Chinese pre-service English teachers perceive and engage with generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in professional learning. Drawing on visualizations, semi-structured interviews, and chat logs, the study identifies five roles: a ready-to-use instrument, an advisory and collaborative partner, a source of inspiration and creativity, an emotional guide, and a mess maker. These roles reveal how GenAI, as an interactive agent, scaffolds cognitive development, offers emotional support, and reshapes social interactions and professional competition during learning to teach. Specifically, the ready-to-use instrument and source of inspiration are primarily involved in cognitive learning; the advisory and collaborative partner in cognitive and social learning; the emotional guide in affective needs; and the mess maker in emotional and social experiences. The study generates a nuanced understanding of GenAI’s multifaceted roles in teacher learning and offers implications for preparing pre-service teachers to harness GenAI for professional growth.