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Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 17. Number 3, September 2026 Pp.379-405
English Language Unit, Preparatory Studies Center, University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Nizwa, Oman
English Language Unit, Preparatory Studies Center, University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Nizwa, Oman
This study investigates English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ perceptions of ethical artificial intelligence (AI) use in teaching, learning, and assessment within an Omani higher education context. Despite rapid AI adoption in education, institutional governance frameworks remain critically underdeveloped, particularly in EFL contexts — creating an urgent need for empirical, locally grounded research. Using a convergent mixed-methods design, quantitative data were collected from 52 EFL faculty members through a structured 52-item Likert-scale questionnaire, complemented by focus group discussions with nine purposively selected teachers drawn from the same participant pool. Analysis across five constructs revealed high levels of AI literacy and ethical awareness (M = 4.09), ethical responsibility and academic integrity (M = 4.19), and positive pedagogical engagement (M = 4.11). The most critical finding was a significant institutional policy deficit reflected in the lowest construct mean (M = 3.25), with the majority of participants reporting an absence of clear guidelines, consequences, or detection tools. Future orientation and framework acceptance recorded the highest mean (M = 4.30), with 98.1% of participants endorsing formal adoption of an Ethical AI Responsibility (E.A.R.) framework. Qualitative findings corroborated a persistent awareness–practice gap, student over-reliance on AI, and inadequate institutional scaffolding. The study recommends urgent development of context-specific, human-centered AI governance frameworks that bridge individual ethical awareness and institutional policy action, with particular relevance to Omani and comparable EFL higher education contexts.
Vellanki, S. S. & Tabassum, A. (2026). EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of Ethical AI Use in Teaching, Learning, and Assessment: Insights from an Omani University Context. Arab World English Journal, 17(3):379-405
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Dr. Surya Subrahmanyam Vellanki is a Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Nizwa, Oman. He holds a PhD in English (2004) and a Cambridge DELTA (2016), with over 25 years of tertiary-level teaching experience across India, Libya, and Oman. His research interests include educational technology, AI in language education, academic integrity, learner autonomy, metacognitive strategy instruction, and teacher professional development. He has presented at international conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals in applied linguistics and English language teaching. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0877-652X
Mrs. Asiya Tabassum is a Lecturer in English at the University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Nizwa, Oman, with nearly 16 years of teaching experience. She is currently pursuing a PhD in TESOL at Universiti Sains Malaysia, focusing on gamified flipped classrooms and reading comprehension. Her research interests include technology-enhanced language learning, gamification, flipped learning, AI-assisted assessment, and AI integration in EFL education. She has presented at international conferences and published research in TESOL and educational technology.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-8798-3763