This study aims to explore the perceptions of EFL teacher educators towards AI tools, particularly Chat GPT, as a resource for developing teaching materials. The research was conducted at a prominent institution of teacher education in Vietnam, using a convergent mixed-methods design. Data were collected through a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview with 37 EFL teacher educators to assess the familiarity and ease of use and participants’ degree of acceptance of AI tools as well as their attitudes towards the potential for supporting EFL material development.
The data analysis provided teacher educators’ insightful experience in emerging AI tools and their mixed perceptions of the deployment of these AI tools in developing their teaching materials to optimise their teaching practice. The results would inform the development of timely policies and practices for the integration of AI tools in future language teaching and learning. The study also highlights the need for further research on the effectiveness and ethical considerations regarding using a variety of AI tools across the EFL contexts. The study has significant pedagogical implications for EFL teacher education programs and contributes to improving the quality compilation, adaptation and design of teaching materials and supporting language learning outcomes.