Innovation in Language Learning
Can ChatGPT Replace Human Teachers? Perspectives of Tunisian English Learners
Leila Najeh, Sfax University (Tunisia)
Abstract
Artificial intelligence (AI) has introduced a variety of language-learning tools, with ChatGPT emerging as one of the most sophisticated due to its human-like linguistic capabilities. This study explores the potential role of ChatGPT as a foreign language teacher by examining the attitudes of Tunisian English learners toward its use. Forty-five third-year students from Tunisian universities and higher institutes completed a 32-item Likert-scale questionnaire covering key linguistic areas including phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. The results reveal generally positive attitudes toward using ChatGPT in language learning, especially for syntax, phonology, and morphology. However, learners expressed uncertainty regarding its effectiveness in semantics and pragmatics, which require deeper contextual understanding and subtle language nuances that AI may struggle to fully grasp.
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Keywords |
ChatGPT , foreign language learning, , linguistic capabilities, Tunisian English language learners. |
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