2026-10-13T22:58:08Z https://www.scidb.cn/oai

10.57760/sciencedb.00zuc 2026-08-20T16:36:39Z

2026-08-20 Co-Designing an AI Speaking Assistant doi:10.57760/sciencedb.00zuc en Although research on artificial intelligence (AI) in foreign language education is growing rapidly, pre-service teachers are typically positioned as end-users rather than designers of AI-supported learning environments. This study examined the experiences of German as a Foreign Language (DaF) pre-service teachers who co-designed an AI-supported speaking assistant as part of a teacher education course. A complementary mixed-methods design was employed. The qualitative core comprised reflective accounts from 20 teacher candidates, analyzed through deductive thematic analysis. Complementary quantitative data were collected through two cohort questionnaires measuring AI perceptions (n = 138) and AI self-efficacy, perceived anthropomorphism, interaction comfort, and system usability (n = 122). Five themes emerged: AI literacy development, pedagogical knowledge transfer, design challenges, personalized and inclusive learning, and teacher identity transformation. Participants developed a more nuanced understanding of AI's pedagogical potential, translated methodological knowledge into design decisions, and reconceptualized the teacher's role as orchestrator of AI-supported learning. Quantitative findings indicated positive attitudes toward learning with AI (M = 3.94), strong endorsement of the human and cultural dimensions of language learning (M = 4.02), low perceived human-likeness of the assistant (M = 2.01), and borderline system usability. The findings suggest that engaging pre-service teachers as AI co-designers, rather than merely end-users, can foster critical AI literacy while supporting reflection on teacher professional identity. artificial intelligence; AI literacy; teacher education; co-design; teacher professional identity; German as a Foreign Language (DaF) Bora Basaran PUBLIC https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ dataset Science Data Bank