Speakers
Description
The increasing integration of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) into English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education has prompted renewed debate regarding its implications for learner autonomy. While GenAI is often viewed as a tool for supporting self-regulated learning (SRL), limited research has examined how AI literacy influences students’ use of GenAI across different stages of the SRL cycle. Addressing this gap, this descriptive cross-sectional study investigated how AI literacy relates to AI-dependent learning behaviours among 78 undergraduate EFL students at a university in Ha Noi. Guided by Zimmerman’s (2000) Cyclical Phase Model of Self-Regulated Learning and Ng et al.’s (2021) AI Literacy Framework, data were collected using a structured five-point Likert-scale questionnaire examining AI literacy dimensions and phase-specific GenAI use. Descriptive analyses revealed three notable patterns. Participants demonstrated relatively strong operational prompting skills but comparatively limited critical evaluation competence (M = 3.4). GenAI use was concentrated in the Performance phase (M = 4.1) but substantially lower during the Forethought/Planning phase (M = 2.3). In addition, 58% of respondents reported frequently adopting AI-generated responses with minimal modification, suggesting a tendency toward uncritical reliance on AI-generated outputs. Pearson correlation analysis further revealed a significant negative relationship between critical evaluation literacy and AI-dependent learning behaviours. These findings indicate that the educational value of GenAI depends not simply on access to AI technologies but on learners’ capacity for critical evaluation and self-regulation. These findings highlight the importance of integrating AI literacy and metacognitive instruction into TESOL to promote more autonomous, critical, and responsible use of GenAI.
Keywords: generative AI, AI literacy, self-regulated learning, learner autonomy, TESOL
