How Did Pre‐Service Chinese Language Teachers Use GenAI to Plan Lessons for Challenging Reading Materials?

ABSTRACT Against the backdrop of the widespread application of GenAI in language education, the cognitive processes and perceptions of pre‐service Chinese language teachers when using GenAI tools for lesson planning remain relatively underexplored. Based on think‐aloud and interview data obtained from 12 pre‐service Chinese language teachers in Hong Kong, we revealed that pre‐service teachers’ AI‐assisted lesson planning placed a particular focus on teaching components such as learning activities and language content. Notably, the high frequency of reflection on lesson planning was also observed. Additionally, two major patterns of AI‐teacher interaction were identified: AI‐dominant and human intelligence‐dominant lesson planners. A mixed view emerged regarding the perceptions of pre‐service teachers. On the one hand, ChatGPT can offer a wide range of pedagogical and content knowledge and shows its proficiency in translating Chinese classical texts. On the other hand, ChatGPT posed challenges in fully capturing the cultural nuances and connotations of classical Chinese, potentially leading to misinterpretations. Moreover, its inability to customize content to meet the specific needs of student teachers was a significant drawback. Finally, the pedagogical implications for teacher education were also discussed.