Toward an Ethical and Pedagogical Framework for Generative AI in Foreign Language Education: Implications for Engineering and Technology Programs in Higher Education
Jun 2026· International Journal of Educational Practices and Engineering(IJEPE)· Vol 3· 0 citations· 28 references
TL;DR
An ethical and pedagogical framework for integrating GenAI into foreign language education and a six-stage AI mediated communicative task cycle that guides learners from task orientation, guided prompting, and drafting or rehearsal to critical revision, transparent submission or performance, and reflective transfer are proposed.
Abstract
Background: Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is changing higher education by expanding access to feedback, simulated interaction, and personalized support. In foreign language education, however, its pedagogical value remains contested because the same tools that may scaffold oral and written production can also encourage dependence, superficial correctness, authorship ambiguity, and uncritical automation. Objective: This conceptual article proposes an ethical and pedagogical framework for integrating GenAI into foreign language education, with specific implications for engineering and technology programs in higher education. Methods: The study develops an integrative conceptual synthesis based on transparent literature mapping conducted with Elicit and cross-checked through scholarly and institutional sources published mainly between 2022 and 2026, alongside foundational works on communicative competence, autonomy, mediation, and assessment. Results: The analysis yields the MAICA Framework, a Mediated AI Communicative Agency model organized around five interdependent dimensions: pedagogical mediation, communicative production, disciplinary transfer, learner agency, and ethical and critical AI literacy. The article also formulates a six-stage AI mediated communicative task cycle that guides learners from task orientation, guided prompting, and drafting or rehearsal to critical revision, transparent submission or performance, and reflective transfer. Conclusions: GenAI should not be treated as a shortcut for language performance or a replacement for teacher expertise. Its educational contribution depends on thoughtful task design, transparent assessment, teacher mediation, and students’ capacity to question, adapt, verify, and ethically declare AI assistance. The framework offers a practical conceptual contribution for language educators working with students who need communicative competence and responsible technological agency
The Responsible AI Literacy in Education (RAIL-Ed) framework is introduced, developed through a systematic review and qualitative framework analysis of 67 studies (2023-2025), grounded in critical, pragmatist, sociocultural, and human-centered traditions.
S. Hossain, S. Ahmadi, Leqi Li et al.· 0 citations
The rise of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) has introduced new pedagogical opportunities and challenges in foreign language (FL) education. This study explored how GenAI platforms function as pedagogical co-support in FL teaching, their perceived benefits and challenges in classroom practice, and the competencies required for effective integration. Guided by a qualitative-dominant mixed-methods design, data were collected through a Google Forms questionnaire administered to 30 FL teachers across the Caribbean and North America. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while qualitative responses underwent thematic analysis with MAXQDA software. The findings reveal that GenAI is increasingly being used to support core teaching tasks such as lesson planning, materials development, and assessment design, enhancing efficiency and expanding instructional possibilities while reshaping traditional notions of pedagogical work. However, this integration is characterized by an ongoing tension between productivity gains and concerns surrounding teacher agency, creativity, and pedagogical judgement, as well as technical, ethical, and infrastructural constraints. The study further found that AI literacy and technical competence, digital literacy and ICT integration, ethical awareness, pedagogical creativity, and lifelong learning are central competencies for effective GenAI integration. These competencies align with UNESCO's AI Competency Framework for Teachers (AI CFT), underscoring the multidimensional nature of AI readiness across technical, ethical, and pedagogical domains. Overall, the findings highlight the need for teacher education programs and institutional policies that prioritize AI literacy, ethical guidance, and infrastructural support to promote sustainable, human-centered GenAI adoption in FL classrooms.
O. Madden· Digital Applied Linguistics· 0 citations
It is suggested that AI can enhance drafting, revision, and feedback processes, improving coherence, metacognition, and writing confidence, however, these benefits are accompanied by persistent concerns regarding ethical ambiguity, inconsistent policy guidance, and insufficient faculty training.
Samira Dichari, Fadi Jaber· Journal of Education and Tra...· 0 citations
Large language models and generative artificial intelligence, as representative language intelligence technologies, are driving foreign language teaching to evolve from the traditional "teacher–student" dyadic structure toward a "teacher–student–AI" triadic collaborative paradigm. Based on the rapid development of artificial intelligence at home and abroad in recent years, this paper systematically reviews the current applications of AI in foreign language teaching, the transformation of teacher roles and identity crises, as well as ethical and equity-related challenges. The study finds that AI applications in foreign language teaching are growing rapidly, yet exhibit marked imbalances across regions, educational stages, and domains—namely, an overrepresentation of higher education research relative to basic education, and a predominance of writing assistance studies at the expense of oral communication and critical reading research. Teachers' roles are shifting from knowledge transmitters to human–AI collaborative instructional designers, while simultaneously facing a dual crisis of technological anxiety and identity recognition. Issues of ethical governance and educational equity urgently demand systematic responses. This paper argues that the future development of foreign language teaching must move beyond mere technology adoption; instead, it should be teacher-centered, constructing systematic coping strategies through the enhancement of AI literacy, human–AI collaborative instructional design, curriculum and assessment reconstruction, ethical governance, and institutional support.
Run-Jie He· Education and Social Work· 0 citations
A conceptual framework offering AI designers, teacher educators, and policymakers a psychologically grounded, empirically mapped, and internationally contextualised basis for developing AI-supported educational systems that advance equity, learner engagement, and meaningful educational transformation is proposed.
Arpana Koul· Review of Artificial Intelli...· 0 citations