Sonat Demirdirek, Aybüke Filiz Gürer, Tarik Altunöz: My Teacher vs. ChatGPT: Insights from a Prep Year Student About His Use of AI in ELT

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As AI tools become part of daily study routines, how do English learners decide when to rely on teachers and when to turn to technology? This qualitative case study examines one motivated EFL student’s 3-month experience using both human and AI feedback on his speaking and grammar. Analysis of reflections and transcripts revealed three main themes: personalization, emotional safety, motivation, and strategic adaptation over time. The student valued his teacher’s contextual explanations but appreciated AI’s instant, non-judgmental responses depending on the mode of the interaction. We believe that AI can play a vital role in complementing teachers’ roles and enabling students to gain confidence and autonomy in their learning.  Genuine reflections of an EFL learner may be useful in exploring the links between AI and human interactions in language learning.

Aybüke Filiz Gürer

I have been teaching English at the tertiary level for 18 years.  I have a BA in ELT and an MA in Communications. As a teaching assistant, I taught public speaking courses for 2 years at Portland State University, and that helped me immensely to explore the issues both natives and nonnatives experience speaking in academic settings. I have been a member of Sabancı University for 4 years.

Sonat Demirdirek

I have been an English Language Instructor for 25 years. I have an MA in ELT. I completed “Advanced English Language Instructor Course” and “Materials Development Course” in DLI ELC in Texas. I taught English at Turkish Naval Academy for 12 years and I have been teaching Academic English at Sabanci University since 2013. I have offered teacher training sessions in different institutions.

Tarık Altunöz

I have been learning English steadily for roughly one year. I  started at A2 level and was able to reach a 6.0 IELTS band score without any specific IELTS preparation in one year. Apart from English education, I got a full scholarship from Sabancı University because I was in the top 1 thousand students among 3 million students in the Turkish University Entrance Exam(YKS).