ELT Teachers' perception and usage of ChatGPT as a teaching tool in the Bangladeshi EFL context

Abstract

ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, is the most buzzing word in academia recently. Due to its ability to provide instant language support and generate diverse educational resources, it has emerged as a powerful tool in ELT (English language teaching). This study aims to explore ELT teachers’ perception and usage of ChatGPT as a teaching tool in the Bangladeshi EFL context. To do this, a concurrent mixed-method research design was employed using interviews and a survey questionnaire. 54 ELT teachers for the survey questionnaire, and 7 teachers interviewed participated from the department of English from 5 different private universities in Bangladesh. The results revealed that ELT teachers used ChatGPT for generating practice tasks, preparing question materials for quizzes or examinations, and providing automated feedback. The teachers highlighted several benefits, such as saving time, having unlimited resources, and easy accessibility, while they noted students’ overdependence and plagiarism, misinterpreted instruction, faulty information, and similar and repetitive structure and language as the potential drawbacks. The teachers opined that for using ChatGPT both teachers and students need proper training and ethical awareness. The findings bring forth valuable insights for teachers, students, and policymakers.