Analysing the pedagogical potential of ChatGPT: a usability testing with educators

Abstract

The integration of artificial intelligence into education has transformed language learning and teaching, with tools such as ChatGPT offering new avenues for interaction, feedback, and learner autonomy. Despite the growing use of such technologies, limited research has explored how educators themselves perceive and utilize AI tools in their pedagogical practice. This study examines the usability and pedagogical potential of ChatGPT for teaching English as a foreign language at the university level. Twelve educators from universities in the Czech Republic and Norway participated in structured usability testing, engaging with ChatGPT across diverse language-learning tasks, including conversation, writing, grammar correction, and vocabulary development. The results reveal that teachers perceived ChatGPT as an accessible and adaptable tool that enhances self-paced learning, supports personalized instruction, and provides instant feedback. Younger educators and those more familiar with digital tools rated its usability and usefulness particularly high, indicating a generational influence on technology acceptance. Moreover, the study highlights ChatGPT's flexibility across linguistic and cultural contexts, reinforcing its potential for global educational settings. Nonetheless, participants emphasized the importance of addressing ethical challenges, including data privacy and the need for teacher training to ensure responsible use. Overall, the findings underscore ChatGPT's promise as a supportive pedagogical tool while calling for longitudinal and large-scale studies to assess its long-term impact on language learning outcomes.