Методика
WHO IS THE AUTHOR? SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS' PERSPECTIVES ON WRITING ASSIGNMENTS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSES IN THE AGE OF AI
https://doi.org/10.53656/for2026-02-02
Резюме. The development of artificial intelligence (AI) has brought many educational challenges to the field of foreign language teaching. This article presents and discusses the results of a survey conducted among 50 foreign language education teachers in secondary schools in Poland, exploring their point of view on the use of artificial intelligence by students in writing assignments. The survey aimed to assess both the perceived challenges and benefits of artificial intelligence integration into the learning process. The findings indicate that while the majority of teachers acknowledge the potential of artificial intelligence to enhance language learning, they also express concerns about its impact on students’ creativity and independence. A significant number of teachers worry that over-reliance on AI tools can possibly lead to a decline in students’ ability to produce original work. What is more, many teachers highlight the positive aspects of artificial intelligence in foreign language learning, particularly in the areas of grammar correction and stylistic improvement, which they believe can support students in improving their writing skills. The results suggest that the effective use of artificial intelligence in education requires a balanced approach, which should serve as a tool for enhancement rather than a substitute for student engagement and creative effort.
Ключови думи: artificial intelligence (AI); foreign language education; writing skills; foreign language learning; educational challenges
1. Introduction
The development of artificial intelligence has brought many new opportunities to education, but at the same time AI’s use is associated with many challenges. This article will address the issue of students’ use of AI in writing papers, especially in the context of teaching foreign languages. It will present the results of a survey conducted among foreign language teachers regarding their experiences with AI, awareness of techniques for detecting such tools, the level of threat they pose to the teaching process, as well as the impact of artificial intelligence on the development of students’ language skills.
Artificial intelligence (AI) plays an increasingly important role in everyday life, and its impact is also powerful in the field of education. AI is used by both teachers and students - from tools supporting the learning process to applications generating texts, translations and task solutions (Grobelna 2023). Increasingly, students, welloriented in the technological world, are also reaching for technologies based on AI systems, such as ChatGPT, DeepL, Google Translate, which help them work on tasks. The development of technology makes texts more and more natural and harder to detect as the work of artificial intelligence. Standard assessment methods, such as writing style, vocabulary level, or grammatical correctness, may not be enough to provide a clear assessment.
In many aspects, the AI tools have a positive impact on the engagement, motivation, and effectiveness of foreign language learning. As shown by Yuan & Liu (2025), AI by offering personalized learning paths and interactive exercises, can increase students’ active participation in the learning process, which results in better language acquisition results. However, although these tools bring many benefits, they also pose a risk of mis-use. Nowadays, teachers face the problem of recognizing whether a given written work was written independently or created using AI. There are also doubts regarding the impact of AI on a real progress in language learning, especially regarding the use of such tools when they replace independent writing. There is a serious concern that written works that are supposed to serve as proof of language mastery may lose their value if they are created using algorithms. These problems have been reported since the early days of language models. In 2021, Nassim Dehouche drew attention to the intellectual property issues of content generated by such models and the risk that GPT-3 may facilitate plagiarism (Dehouche, 2021). Yogesh Dwivedi et al. (2023) highlighted the risks associated with using AI for writing essays and solving problems, which, as Enkelejda Kasneci et al. (2023) noted, can lead to the development of unfair practices and reduce engagement in the learning process.
In the context of foreign language teaching, students often seem to be reluctant in writing tasks. As Hanna Komorowska (1993) noted in the study cited by Magdalena Jochimczyk (2016), writing skills are perceived as one of the least necessary skills in everyday language use. In many out-of-school situations, writing in a foreign language is almost non-existent, which is why students often consider this skill to be of little use. Similar opinions are common among pupils and students, who are usually reluctant to engage in tasks requiring written statements (Jochimczyk, 2016, after: Guzy and Niesporek-Szamburska, 2013). Nowadays, thanks to the development of artificial intelligence, students increasingly use tools such as ChatGPT, which allow them to generate texts in a short time. For many of them, this is a convenient alternative to independent writing, which is sometimes perceived as time-consuming or boring (Dakowska, 2001). A tools such as ChatGPT or Gemini allow easy and quick solutions and simultaneously reduce the difficulty of producing written texts, which, combined with the perceived low utility of writing, may lead students to automate the process rather than develop their own writing skills.
2. Study methodology
This study aimed to understand the general perspectives of foreign language teachers in the context of using artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the educational process, especially in relation to their overuse by students in writing papers. The study’s aim was to analyze both the ability to detect AI-generated content and the assessment of the risks associated with their use, as well as the perception of the impact of AI on the development of students’ language skills.
The hypotheses included:
1. Foreign language teachers have difficulties in recognizing texts generated by AI.
2. The use of AI tools by students for cheating poses a significant threat to the educational process.
3. Teachers see positive aspects of using AI tools in foreign language learning, despite concerns about their overuse.
4. AI, used responsibly, can support the development of students’ language skills, especially in the area of grammar and stylistics.
The author of the article conducted a survey among 50 foreign language teachers working in upper secondary schools in Poland, which were general secondary schools (liceum ogólnokształcące). The study involved 16 schools located in northeastern Poland. In order to ensure the comfort and anonymity of the participants, no question was asked about the origin of teachers from specific schools, which means that there is no information on the number of teachers who answered the questions from individual schools, nor on the response rate. This procedure was decided due to the limited number of foreign language teachers in particular cases of schools, and in order to maintain their privacy and their comfort in the process of filling in the questionnaire. The study was conducted in July and August 2024, and the surveys were sent to school offices electronically.
The teachers varied in terms of their years of working experience, from 1 to 22 years of work in education. Women predominated in this group (35, which is 70%). The dominant group were teachers of English (33 teachers), then followed the teachers of: German (7), Spanish (7) and Russian (3). The survey consisted of twelve questions with answers to choose from, in four thematic sections concerning: knowledge of techniques for detecting texts generated by AI, a sense of threat related to the abuse of AI by students, preventive measures taken and the perception of the impact of AI on the development of students’ language skills.
3. Survey results
The survey results present the varied perspectives of teachers towards the use of artificial intelligence in the educational process, especially in the context of its abuse by students when writing written assignments.
Table 1. Survey results – section 1
The survey results show that the teachers encounter difficulties in recognizing AI-generated texts based on their style and the structure of the student’s work. Only 32% of the respondents declared that they were able to recognize such texts, while 54% admitted that they were only partially able to do so. However, 22% of the teachers stated that they were unable to spot AI-generated texts. Only 14% of the teachers taking part in the survey regularly use online tools for plagiarism analysis and detection of AI-generated content, while the majority, 60%, use them occasionally. Moreover, 28% of the teachers do not use them at all, which may indicate the limited availability of these technologies or teachers’ lack of sufficient awareness of existence of such tools. Only 10% of the teachers feel strongly confident in recognizing AI-generated texts, while 24% declare that they feel rather confident. However, as many as 66% of the respondents do not feel confident in this matter, which suggests that recognizing such texts is a challenge for most of the teachers.
Table 2. Survey results – section 2
The majority of the teachers (56%) express strong concerns about students overusing AI, considering it a threat to the educational process. 12% of the teachers share these concerns to some extent, while 32% do not consider AI to be a threat. According to the responding teachers, some students (58%) use AI unfairly, while 28% of the teachers believe that students treat AI-based technologies as a tool to support learning. Only 14% of the teachers believe that students do not overuse AI. Despite these concerns, the teachers also see positive aspects of AI. As many as 70% of the respondents believe that AI can partially support the educational process. Only 16% of the teachers are convinced that AI can definitely be beneficial in education, while 14% see it only as a threat.
Table 3. Survey results – section 3
The respondents use a variety of preventive measures to limit students’ misuse of AI. The most frequently mentioned initiatives include organizing supervised writing of papers (38 responses) and introducing strict rules for independent writing of papers (31 responses). 16 teachers focus on tasks that require an individual approach, while 12 do not use special preventive measures. When it comes to rejecting the assignments which could be suspected of being generated by AI, the teachers have different approaches – only 12% reject such papers, while 34% do it sometimes. More than half, 54%, do not reject suspicious papers, which may be due to the difficulty of unequivocally proving that the text was generated by technologies using AI. To reduce the risk of using AI, most of the teachers (66%) regularly organize classes where students write papers under supervision. Another 24% organize such classes occasionally, and only 10% of the teachers do not use this method.
Table 4. Survey results – section 4
The responding teachers seem to have varying opinions on the impact of AI on the development of students’ language skills. 72% of the respondents believe that AI can be a useful tool, similar to dictionaries and textbooks. 16% assess the impact of AI as neutral, considering that technology can support certain aspects of learning, but requires supervision. Only 12% of the teachers see AI as a negative tool that slows down the development of students’ language skills. At the same time, as many as 60% of the teachers believe that technology using AI significantly limits students’ creativity and independence in creating written statements, while 36% share this opinion partially. Only 4% of the teachers do not see such a threat. Despite concerns about the negative impact of AI on creativity, the answering teachers see the potential of AI in improving students’ grammar and stylistics. As many as 76% of the respondents of the survey believe that AI can help in this regard if used responsibly. Another 22% agree with this partially, and only 2% do not see the potential of AI in possible improving students’ language skills. The survey results show the complexity of the challenges and opportunities that AI brings to language teaching. According to the research, most teachers have difficulty in clearly recognizing AI-generated texts. Only 10% of the respondents feel confident in this area, which indicates an urgent need to increase the availability of tools to support the identification of such content. Currently, there are technologies that claim to be able to detect AI-generated content, such as anti-plagiarism programs with a style analysis function, but their effectiveness remains limited. It is worth considering whether training teachers in the detection of AI-generated texts could improve their confidence in this area.
4. Discussion
WhenitcomestotheguidelinesoftheEuropeanUnion, theypointouttheimportance of adapting education systems to dynamic technological changes, promoting digital education, but also development of soft skills and the responsible use of technology (Publications Office of the European Union, 2022). These guidelines could work as a point of reference in the discussion on the challenges and opportunities that Artificial Intelligence and its tools bring to foreign language teaching. According to the EU Digital Education Action Plan 2021 – 2027, one of the priorities is to develop digital skills among students and teachers (European Commission, 2020). The competencies of the future, such as: critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving ability and the ability to collaborate in a technological environment, are essential. AI, as a supporting tool, can contribute to the development of these competences, however it should be taken on board that such tools are implemented correctly.
The hypotheses have been largely confirmed by the research, although the results also indicate some nuances that require more careful consideration. The survey results show the complexity of the challenges and opportunities that AI-generated texts pose in teaching foreign languages. Analyzing the data presented, several important trends and conclusions can be seen that require deeper discussion. According to the research, most teachers have difficulty in clearly recognizing texts generated by AI. Only 10% of the teachers feel confident in this area, which indicates an urgent need to increase the availability of tools that support the identification of such content. At this very moment, there are technologies that are claimed to be able to detect AI-generated content, such as anti-plagiarism programs with a style analysis function, but their effectiveness remains limited. It could be worth considering whether training teachers in the field of detecting AI-generated texts could improve their confidence in this area.
AI, although perceived by teachers as a supporting tool, raises concerns about its overuse. In particular, the risk of limiting students’ creativity and independence has been pointed out. As researchers note (Kasneci et al., 2023), too frequent use of AI can lead to the automation of the learning process and reduced student engagement. Moreover, as many as 72% of the respondents see a positive impact of AI on technical aspects, such as grammar and stylistics. This suggests that the problem lies not so much in the technology itself, but in the way it is used. As far as the development of AI is concerned, the role of the teacher in the teaching process is nowadays changing. Traditional jobs, such as assessing grammatical correctness, can be partially taken over by technologies. Thanks to this, the teacher could have more space to focus more on developing students’ creativity, critical thinking, and analytical skills. For example, tasks involving the creation of out-of-the box statements or the development of arguments which could activate students more effectively and simultaneously reduce the risk of AI overuse. Organizing teachersupervised writing sessions, which has been indicated as a popular preventive measure, might also be a good opportunity to develop such skills.
The new generation of students raised in the digital era naturally reaches for modern tools (Haleem et al., 2022), but it is up to teachers to decide how they will be used in the learning process. It is necessary to shape students’ awareness that AI is not a substitute for their own skills, but rather could work as a support in their development. Based on the results of the study, it can also be concluded that it is necessary to introduce digital education for both students and teachers. Including content related to the responsible use of AI in educational programs could increase awareness of the benefits and risks of technology.
5. Concluding remarks
The aim of this study was to initiate a preliminary analysis of foreign language teachers’ perspectives on the use of AI tools in teaching, with a special focus on their opinions on the risks of plagiarism and the impact of AI on students’ language development. This study is an important starting point for future, more advanced studies that should take into account both qualitative and quantitative aspects. The analysis in the next stages will include a broader context, including detailed data on teachers’ experiences with AI tools, the type of written tasks, the level of language proficiency of students and other factors, which will allow for a more comprehensive and in-depth assessment of the impact of AI on the educational process.
Due to the dynamic development of AI-based technologies, teachers should regularly update their knowledge of the latest technologies and applications to better understand how students can use AI and how to counteract potential abuses. Recognizing AI-generated texts is becoming an increasingly difficult task, but the combination of new technologies, critical analysis, and direct contact with students still provides a chance to maintain high quality language education. Expectations related to independent thinking and creativity should remain a priority, even in the era of technology.
Many teachers fear that AI may be misused by students, which may pose a threat to the authentic development of their language skills. At the same time, however, some teachers perceive AI as a tool supporting learning that can help improve students’ grammar, stylistics, and other linguistic aspects.
It therefore seems important to equip teachers with the appropriate tools and competences that will allow them to effectively identify AI-generated content. It is also essential to promote responsible use of these technologies by students, in order to maximize the educational benefits of their use while minimizing potential misuse. The use of AI in language education is inevitable and brings with it both benefits and challenges. A key task for teachers is to find a balance between allowing students to use technology and promoting independent thinking and creativity.
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