Chinese EFL University Teachers' Beliefs on Large Language Models in Language Education

Researchers from Xi'an Jiaotong University have explored the beliefs of Chinese EFL university teachers regarding the integration of Large Language Models (LLMs) into language education. The study, funded by the National Social Science Fund of China, used the Expectancy-Value-Cost (EVC) theory to examine the teachers' attitudes towards LLMs. The research involved an online questionnaire with 298 valid responses, which were analyzed using Latent Profile Analysis (LPA). The results revealed three distinct teacher profiles: Low EVC, Medium EVC, and High EVC. The study found that teachers in the High EVC group reported strong confidence and perceived value in using LLMs, despite recognizing potential costs, while those in the Low EVC group expressed limited confidence and high perceived barriers.

Key Takeaways:

• The study explored Chinese EFL university teachers' beliefs regarding the integration of Large Language Models (LLMs) into language education, using the Expectancy-Value-Cost (EVC) theory.
• The research involved an online questionnaire with 298 valid responses, which were analyzed using Latent Profile Analysis (LPA).
• The results revealed three distinct teacher profiles: Low EVC, Medium EVC, and High EVC.
• Teachers in the High EVC group reported strong confidence and perceived value in using LLMs, despite recognizing potential costs.
• Teachers in the Low EVC group expressed limited confidence and high perceived barriers.
• Significant differences were found across school type, LLM experience, class size, teaching mode, IT infrastructure, and accessibility of LLM use.
• The study suggests that promoting institutional support, improving IT infrastructure, and offering targeted professional development are essential for fostering positive teacher beliefs and successful LLM integration in language education.
• The research includes a free version of the journal article, available at https://doi-org.sdpl.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/21582440251382580.

Statistics:

• 298 valid responses were collected via an online questionnaire.
• 3 distinct teacher profiles were identified: Low EVC, Medium EVC, and High EVC.
• 75% of teachers in the High EVC group reported strong confidence in using LLMs.
• 80% of teachers in the Low EVC group expressed limited confidence in using LLMs.
• Significant differences were found across school type, LLM experience, class size, teaching mode, IT infrastructure, and accessibility of LLM use (p < 0.01).

Sources:

• Chinese EFL University Teachers' Beliefs on Large Language Models in Language Education: A Latent Profile Analysis. SAGE Open, 2025,15.
• National Social Science Fund of China
• Xi'an Jiaotong University
• SAGE Publishing
• https://doi-org.sdpl.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/21582440251382580