@article{ART003400455},
author={Lin Deng and Kilryoung Lee},
title={Exploring Teacher Agency in the Use of Domestic Generative AI Tools for University English Teaching in China},
journal={Modern English Education},
issn={1598-0782},
year={2026},
volume={27},
pages={430-445}
TY - JOUR
AU - Lin Deng
AU - Kilryoung Lee
TI - Exploring Teacher Agency in the Use of Domestic Generative AI Tools for University English Teaching in China
JO - Modern English Education
PY - 2026
VL - 27
IS - null
PB - The Modern English Education Society
SP - 430
EP - 445
SN - 1598-0782
AB - Research on generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in language education has largely centered on students and global platforms like ChatGPT, paying little attention to how teachers in non-Western settings adopt GenAI or how institutions mediate their practices.
In China, national AI policies are implemented differently across universities, making institutional context an important condition for teachers’ engagement with GenAI. This study examines why Chinese university English teachers adopt GenAI, how their use varies across professional tasks, and how variations in teacher agency relate to institutional context. Data from eight teachers were collected through semi-structured interviews, supplemented for four participants by AI usage logs and screenshots of teacher–AI exchanges, and analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis drawing on Priestley et al.’s (2015) ecological model of teacher agency and Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological systems theory. Domestic platforms were used predominantly for their accessibility. GenAI was routinely applied in lesson planning, whereas in grading and research teachers used it more selectively. Teacher agency varied considerably across institutional environments, from proactive implementation to cautious evaluation. The study proposes Institutional AI Deployment (IAD) as a provisional concept: a bundled, AI-specific condition of teacher agency arising from a single institutional decision.
KW - Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI);teacher agency;English language teaching;Chinese higher education;domestic AI tools
DO -
UR -
ER -
Lin Deng and Kilryoung Lee. (2026). Exploring Teacher Agency in the Use of Domestic Generative AI Tools for University English Teaching in China. Modern English Education, 27, 430-445.
Lin Deng and Kilryoung Lee. 2026, "Exploring Teacher Agency in the Use of Domestic Generative AI Tools for University English Teaching in China", Modern English Education, vol.27, pp.430-445.
Lin Deng, Kilryoung Lee "Exploring Teacher Agency in the Use of Domestic Generative AI Tools for University English Teaching in China" Modern English Education 27 pp.430-445 (2026) : 430.
Lin Deng, Kilryoung Lee. Exploring Teacher Agency in the Use of Domestic Generative AI Tools for University English Teaching in China. 2026; 27 430-445.
Lin Deng and Kilryoung Lee. "Exploring Teacher Agency in the Use of Domestic Generative AI Tools for University English Teaching in China" Modern English Education 27(2026) : 430-445.
Lin Deng; Kilryoung Lee. Exploring Teacher Agency in the Use of Domestic Generative AI Tools for University English Teaching in China. Modern English Education, 27, 430-445.
Lin Deng; Kilryoung Lee. Exploring Teacher Agency in the Use of Domestic Generative AI Tools for University English Teaching in China. Modern English Education. 2026; 27 430-445.
Lin Deng, Kilryoung Lee. Exploring Teacher Agency in the Use of Domestic Generative AI Tools for University English Teaching in China. 2026; 27 430-445.
Lin Deng and Kilryoung Lee. "Exploring Teacher Agency in the Use of Domestic Generative AI Tools for University English Teaching in China" Modern English Education 27(2026) : 430-445.
