Pedagogical models of generative AI in Secondary English language teaching

The rapid rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the pedagogical landscape of English Language Teaching (ELT), particularly in secondary education where teachers confront heterogeneous proficiency levels, escalating curricular demands and evolving expectations for digitally mediated learning. While existing research has examined teacher attitudes, digital competence and ethical concerns, far less is known about the discipline-specific instructional practices through which English teachers operationalise AI within real classroom contexts. Addressing this gap, this qualitative study employs reflexive thematic analysis to investigate how in-service secondary school English teachers in Spain integrate AI tools into their pedagogical decision-making and instructional design. The analysis identifies four pedagogical configurations of AI use—Material-Oriented Use, Adaptive and Differentiated Use, Feedback-Centred Use, and Minimal or Peripheral Use—which reflect distinct logics of practice, degrees of teacher agency and levels of alignment with contemporary ELT principles, including communicative competence and Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) informed differentiation. In addition, the study proposes a conceptual framework for interpreting emerging modes of AI-mediated English language teaching, situating these practices within contemporary debates on teacher agency, pedagogical design and technological mediation, and contributing to a more nuanced understanding of how AI is being negotiated within language education.