TECHNOLOGY AND AI INTEGRATION IN EFL JUNIOR HIGH CLASSROOM

A NARRATIVE INQUIRY

Abstract

This study is intended to explore the challenges that an English teacher faced in adopting and using technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology in junior high school English. This research uses a qualitative narrative inquiry design to involve one of the Grade 7 English teachers at SMPN 3 Tangerang Selatan as the participant. Methods: Data were collected by semi-structured in-depth interviews and subsequently analyzed descriptively. The data these articles gather, concerning the remaining technology integration in the class, has only served elementary interests, from projector to PowerPoint, and for the case of AI in particular, the main use is just for question preparation by the teacher, or translation support by the students. Key obstacles include lack of access to the internet, shaky connection during online-based sessions, and the reliance of students on artificial intelligence in writing works. Technology and artificial intelligence (AI) can definitely increase learning efficiency and motivate students, but also lead to lower critical thinking skills and potentially the use of mobile devices for non-academic purposes. This discussion shows us that the successful embedding of AI into English language teaching will not be about availability of a technology but more about infrastructure preparedness, teacher surveillance and morality in the classroom. The teacher who guides and regulates how students use the technology is vital to ensure that students do not fall into a pattern of over-reliance on AI, and that meaningful learning activities still take place. The conclusion reached in this study shows that Technology and AI can be a great supporting tool in English