Secondary School German Teachers’ Perceptions of Artificial Intelligence Tools in Language Teaching: A Qualitative Study

Resumo

This qualitative study investigates the perceptions of secondary school German language teachers regarding the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in language education. As AI technologies such as ChatGPT, Google Translate, and Duolingo gain prominence in classrooms globally, there is a growing need to understand their influence on less commonly taught languages, including German. The study focuses on ten German teachers working in Algerian secondary schools and explores their views on the pedagogical roles, benefits, limitations, and ethical implications of AI tools in their teaching practice. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews, allowing participants to express their experiences and reflections in depth. The findings indicate that teachers recognize the potential of AI tools to enhance vocabulary acquisition, improve pronunciation, and increase student motivation. However, they also voice concerns about translation inaccuracies, loss of linguistic nuance, cultural insensitivity, and the risk of student overdependence on technology. Furthermore, teachers emphasize the necessity of maintaining a human-centered approach, where AI complements rather than replaces traditional pedagogical strategies. The study highlights the importance of teacher agency in integrating AI into language education and contributes to the growing body of knowledge on AI in medium-resource language contexts. It calls for targeted training and policy support to optimize AI use in language classrooms.