Developing and Validating a Scale of Artificial Intelligence Anxiety Among Chinese EFL Teachers

ABSTRACT As artificial intelligence (AI) technology continues to advance, its influences across various industries have grown, leading to increasing levels of anxiety, including that in education. Nonetheless, in terms of current knowledge, the literature lacks a valid scale to measure AI anxiety among EFL teachers, particularly university EFL teachers. Moreover, the underlying dimensions of this construct have yet to be clarified. Against these gaps, this study aims to develop and validate a scale to assess AI anxiety among university EFL teachers in China. We used qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys combined to identify the key dimensions of AI anxiety of university EFL teachers. In so doing, 251 Chinese EFL teachers completed a newly designed scale. The result of exploratory factor analyses indicated five dimensions and 21 items in the questionnaire. Five dimensions were identified: technical proficiency, job displacement, technological support, student experience and research development. Next, another 415 Chinese EFL teachers participated in validating the scale. The result of confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the scale demonstrated strong reliability, validity and an acceptable model fit. This new scale provides a useful tool for assessing AI anxiety in EFL teachers and highlights the unique challenges they face in adapting to AI, offering a basis for future research and targeted support.