‘Every decision falls back on me’: ethical dilemmas and professional responses to generative AI among English language teacher educators

Aug 28, 2026

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This study explores how eight English language teacher educators in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao experienced and worked through ethical dilemmas and professional tensions triggered by generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) integration. A qualitative multiple-case study used two rounds of interviews with scenario-based critical incident prompts and thematic analysis. Findings highlight weekly questions about handling GenAI in lesson design, assessment, and supervision, framed by role theory. Five recurring tensions emerge: institutional silence, blurred authorship, fairness in assessment, student overreliance, and unequal access. Responses include course-level rules, tracing student work processes, and modelling responsible GenAI use, showing role ambiguity and conflict as spaces for professional learning.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages28

Reading Time1 h 11 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Role of English language teacher educators in ethical technology integration

Ethical decisions shaped by GenAI in lesson design and assessment

Methodology

Qualitative multiple-case study design

Scenario-based critical incident interviews

Findings

Five recurring tensions

Professional responses and strategies

Role ambiguity and role conflict in practice

Implications

Institutional support for ethical, context-aware GenAI use

Teachers and Teaching theory and practice ISSN: 1354-0602 (Print) 1470-1278 (Online) Journal [homepage: ](homepage: www.tandfonline.com/journals/ctat20)[www.tandfonline.com/journals/ctat20](homepage: www.tandfonline.com/journals/ctat20) ‘ Every decision falls back on me’: ethical dilemmasand professional responses to generative AI among English language teacher educators Tiefu Zhang, Xuyan Qiu, Özgehan Uştuk & Aek Phakiti To cite this article: Tiefu Zhang, Xuyan Qiu, Özgehan Uştuk & Aek Phakiti (14 Jul 2026):‘ Every decision falls back on me’: ethical dilemmas and professional responses to generative AI among English language teacher educators, Teachers and Teaching, DOI: 10. 1080/13540602 .2026.2703817 To link to this article: [https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2026.2703817](https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2026.2703817) View supplementary material | Published online: 14 Jul 2026. | | | --- | --- | | | Submit your article to this journal | | | Article views: 268 | | | View related articles | | View Crossmark data | | Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at [https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=ctat20](https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=ctat20) ‘Every decision falls back on me’: ethical dilemmas and professional responses to generative AI among English language teacher educators Tiefu Zhang a, Xuyan Qiu b, Özgehan Uştuk b and Aek Phakiti c aCollege of Education Sciences, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China; bDepartment of English and Communication, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China; cSydney School of Education and Social Work, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia ABSTRACT This study explores how eight English language teacher educators (LTEs) in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao experienced and worked through the ethical dilemmas and professional tensions emerging from generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) integration. Using a qualitative multiple-case study design, we conducted two rounds of interviews, including scenario-based critical incident prompts, and analysed the data thematically. For English LTEs, questions arise weekly, if not daily, about how to deal with GenAI in their students’ lesson design, as well as in assessment and supervision. Through the lens of role theory, the study identifies five recurring tensions: institutional silence, blurred authorship, fairness in assessment, student overreliance, and unequal access. Participants addressed these challenges by setting course-level rules, finding ways to trace students’ work processes, and modelling responsible use of GenAI. The findings show how role ambiguity and role conflict play out as LTEs move from enforcing rules to mediating ethical practice. The study suggests that uncertainty itself can become a space for professional learning and calls for institutions to support teachers in developing more ethical and context-aware ways of working with GenAI. ARTICLE HISTORY Received 14 October 2025 Accepted 6 July 2026 KEYWORDS Ethical dilemmas and tensions; generative AI; language teacher education; professional judgement; role theory Introduction As English continues to serve as a global lingua franca, the profession of English language teaching holds increasing significance in fostering international communication, academic exchange, and professional mobility (Nazari, 2025; Richards, 2015) . English language teachers must be well-prepared—not only in mastering practical classroom skills such as lesson planning, classroom management, and assessment, but also in acquiring specialised pedagogical knowledge, including second language acquisition theories, curriculum design, and intercultural competence (Zhuo et al., 2025) . This preparation is largely shaped by English language teacher educators (LTEs), who play CONTACT Xuyan Qiu [xuyan.qiu@polyu.edu.hk](x

FAQs

Which GenAI-related areas create ethical dilemmas for English language teacher educators?

The study reports recurring concerns about dealing with GenAI in students’ lesson design, as well as in assessment and supervision.

What five tensions were identified through role theory?

The findings identify institutional silence, blurred authorship, fairness in assessment, student overreliance, and unequal access.

How do participants respond to these challenges in practice?

Participants set course-level rules, find ways to trace students’ work processes, and model responsible use of GenAI.

Aug 28, 2026

Upload by Asher