Instructor and student views on the use of artificial intelligence in teaching Turkish as a foreign language

The aim of this study is to reveal the views of both instructors and learners of Turkish as a foreign language regarding artificial intelligence and to examine the reflections of artificial intelligence technologies on Turkish language teaching. The findings are expected to provide a basis for the development of innovative and functional approaches in the field. The study was conducted using the phenomenology design, one of the qualitative research designs. The study group was determined through easily accessible case sampling. The study included 15 instructors working in the field of teaching Turkish to foreigners in different regions of Turkey and 14 students learning Turkish as a foreign language. The data were collected using a semi-structured interview form developed by the researchers. The interviews were conducted face-to-face via the Zoom platform, and the obtained data were analyzed using the content analysis method and the MAXQDA 2024 software. As a result of the study, it was observed that there were instructors who used and did not use artificial intelligence. It was found that instructors who did not use it lacked knowledge about artificial intelligence, did not know how and why to use it, were biased, and did not use it due to unfavorable conditions. It was seen that instructors who lacked knowledge were willing to use it if training was provided. It was concluded that instructors who used artificial intelligence employed it in lesson preparation, material and question generation, lesson activities, process-oriented assessment, and for student practice outside the classroom. Among the instructors, there were those who saw artificial intelligence as a professional threat, as well as those who considered it merely an auxiliary tool and believed it could not replace the instructor. This situation was associated with the instructors' perceptions of artificial intelligence. It was concluded that while artificial intelligence has advantages and disadvantages and is not yet sufficient for language teaching and Turkish language teaching, it would be a very useful necessity for teaching Turkish to foreigners if its deficiencies were addressed. Regarding the student results, it was understood that students viewed artificial intelligence as a technology that assists people, while some students had no opinion about artificial intelligence. The students stated that instructors who did not use artificial intelligence lacked experience and that artificial intelligence was not sufficient for teaching Turkish. The students who mentioned the advantages and disadvantages of artificial intelligence considered instructors to be superior to artificial intelligence in some aspects. Although many students benefited from artificial intelligence in various fields, the majority preferred to learn Turkish from an instructor and stated that artificial intelligence would be beneficial as a supplementary element in teaching Turkish. The data obtained from the study are expected to serve as a resource for instructors and future studies.