Empowering EFL Student Teachers through AI: Promoting Creativity, Critical Thinking Skills and Collaboration

The current study aims to explore the influence of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools on empowering English as a Foreign Language (EFL) student teachers. In particular, the study investigated the impact of AI tools in promoting creativity, critical thinking skills and collaboration as perceived by EFL student teachers. 25 EFL major student teachers in their fourth year, who took part in this qualitative focus group-based study, were enrolled in a 15-week EFL course where AI generative tools were introduced and integrated into the course to assist students in creating a poster. The data were collected from focus group interviews, targeting information about the student teachers' experience in utilizing these tools and their effects on fostering students' creativity, critical thinking skills and teamwork among their peers. Thematic analysis was used. Insights from the focus group interviews show that participants express positive attitudes towards AI tools, particularly in enhancing their creativity, critical thinking and collaboratively improving the quality of their final product. Despite acknowledging the positive effects of AI tools, participants highlight several concerns including excessive reliance and limited technical skills required to use this technology effectively. The study has implications for the successful integration of AI tools into future EFL classrooms and contributes to understandings of how student teachers perceive that AI can be creatively implemented in practice, harnessing the benefits as well as dealing with the challenges.