Research Article

Artificial Intelligence Teaching Assistants on the Professional Development of Teachers: Evidence from German Language Teachers in Türkiye

Volume: 6 Number: 2 December 30, 2025
EN TR

Artificial Intelligence Teaching Assistants on the Professional Development of Teachers: Evidence from German Language Teachers in Türkiye

Abstract

The rapid proliferation of AI-powered tools has introduced significant pedagogical opportunities and challenges within educational landscapes. While some AI tools focus on individual learning processes and provide features to help students study, AI-powered teaching tools focus on teachers and provide features that support classroom and outside-of-class activities. Research on the effects of these new tools has been ongoing for some time. However, only a few studies have specifically examined AI-supported teaching assistants in the context of FL teaching. This study explores the impact of a widely used AI-powered teaching assistant on the professional development of German teachers in Turkey, aiming to fill this gap partially. The research employs a qualitative single-case study design. Data were collected from six German teachers through semi-structured interviews, and the instructional materials of the teachers were examined. The findings indicate that participants accepted the new tool and used it across all teaching stages. The areas where teachers benefited most included lesson preparation, activity and content development, and student assessment. The functions of this new tool enabled teachers to save time in their preparation and to create more advanced, differentiated, and personalized materials. However, some problems, including a lack of technical infrastructure and limited German-language support on the platform, have also been identified. A key finding is that teachers view AI-powered teaching assistants not merely as practical support tools, but also as pedagogical partners. These assistants have significantly improved the technological and pedagogical knowledge of teachers in a short time. Collectively, these findings offer novel insights into the design of sustainable professional development frameworks that support the development of effective, continuous professional development programs for language teachers in the context of emerging AI tools.

Keywords

Artificial Intelligence Teaching Assistants, AITAs, German Language Teaching, AI-powered Tools, Teacher Professional Development.

Supporting Institution

No funding was received for conducting this study.

Project Number

No

Ethical Statement

The authors declare that this study is original and has not been previously published elsewhere. All sources used in the study have been properly cited in accordance with ethical principles. The author list is limited to those who made a significant contribution to the work; no additions, removals, or changes in authorship order will be made during the process. Any potential conflicts of interest have been disclosed to the editor. The authors agree to provide any requested data or information to the editorial board if necessary.

References

  1. Ahmed, S., Zaki, A., & Bentley, Y. (2024). AI and personalised grading criteria. In N. Al Harrasi & M. Salah El Din (Eds.), Utilizing AI for assessment, grading, and feedback in higher education (pp. 85–113). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-2145-4.ch004
  2. Avalos, B. (2011). Teacher professional development in teaching and teacher education over ten years. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27(1), 10–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2010.08.007
  3. Barrios-Beltran, D. (2024). Enriching the teaching-learning experience by using AI tools in the L2 classroom. In F. Pan (Ed.), AI in language teaching, learning, and assessment (pp. 61–77). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-0872-1.ch004
  4. Belda-Medina, J., & Goddard, M. B. (2024). AI-driven digital storytelling: A strategy for creating English as a foreign language (EFL) materials. International Journal of Linguistics Studies, 4(1), 40–49. https://doi.org/10.32996/ijls.2024.4.1.4
  5. Black, N. B., George, S., Eguchi, A., Dempsey, J. C., Langran, E., Fraga, L., Brunvand, S., & Howard, N. (2024). A framework for approaching AI education in educator preparation programs. Proceedings of the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence, 38(21), 23069–23077. https://doi.org/10.1609/aaai.v38i21.30351
  6. Brandão, A., Pedro, L., & Zagalo, N. (2024). Teacher professional development for a future with generative artificial intelligence–an integrative literature review. Digital Education Review, (45), 151–157. https://doi.org/10.1344/der.2024.45.151-157
  7. Çebi, A., & Reisoğlu, İ. (2020). Digital competence: A study from the perspective of pre-service teachers in Turkey. Journal of New Approaches in Educational Research, 9(1), 294–308. https://doi.org/10.7821/naer.2020.7.583
  8. Çelik, I., Dindar, M., Muukkonen, H., & Järvelä, S. (2022). The promises and challenges of artificial intelligence for teachers: A systematic review of research. TechTrends, 66(4), 616–630. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-022-00715-y
  9. Chiu, T. K., Moorhouse, B. L., Chai, C. S., & Ismailov, M. (2024). Teacher support and student motivation to learn with Artificial Intelligence (AI) based chatbot. Interactive Learning Environments, 32(7), 3240–3256. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2023.2172044
  10. Council of Europe. (2020). Common European framework of reference for languages: Learning, teaching, assessment – Companion volume. Council of Europe Publishing. https://www.coe.int/lang-cefr
APA
Yılmaz, A. S., & Ağır, A. (2025). Artificial Intelligence Teaching Assistants on the Professional Development of Teachers: Evidence from German Language Teachers in Türkiye. Instructional Technology and Lifelong Learning, 6(2), 310-343. https://doi.org/10.52911/itall.1773280
AMA
1.Yılmaz AS, Ağır A. Artificial Intelligence Teaching Assistants on the Professional Development of Teachers: Evidence from German Language Teachers in Türkiye. ITALL. 2025;6(2):310-343. doi:10.52911/itall.1773280
Chicago
Yılmaz, Ali Safa, and Ahmet Ağır. 2025. “Artificial Intelligence Teaching Assistants on the Professional Development of Teachers: Evidence from German Language Teachers in Türkiye”. Instructional Technology and Lifelong Learning 6 (2): 310-43. https://doi.org/10.52911/itall.1773280.
EndNote
Yılmaz AS, Ağır A (December 1, 2025) Artificial Intelligence Teaching Assistants on the Professional Development of Teachers: Evidence from German Language Teachers in Türkiye. Instructional Technology and Lifelong Learning 6 2 310–343.
IEEE
[1]A. S. Yılmaz and A. Ağır, “Artificial Intelligence Teaching Assistants on the Professional Development of Teachers: Evidence from German Language Teachers in Türkiye”, ITALL, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 310–343, Dec. 2025, doi: 10.52911/itall.1773280.
ISNAD
Yılmaz, Ali Safa - Ağır, Ahmet. “Artificial Intelligence Teaching Assistants on the Professional Development of Teachers: Evidence from German Language Teachers in Türkiye”. Instructional Technology and Lifelong Learning 6/2 (December 1, 2025): 310-343. https://doi.org/10.52911/itall.1773280.
JAMA
1.Yılmaz AS, Ağır A. Artificial Intelligence Teaching Assistants on the Professional Development of Teachers: Evidence from German Language Teachers in Türkiye. ITALL. 2025;6:310–343.
MLA
Yılmaz, Ali Safa, and Ahmet Ağır. “Artificial Intelligence Teaching Assistants on the Professional Development of Teachers: Evidence from German Language Teachers in Türkiye”. Instructional Technology and Lifelong Learning, vol. 6, no. 2, Dec. 2025, pp. 310-43, doi:10.52911/itall.1773280.
Vancouver
1.Ali Safa Yılmaz, Ahmet Ağır. Artificial Intelligence Teaching Assistants on the Professional Development of Teachers: Evidence from German Language Teachers in Türkiye. ITALL. 2025 Dec. 1;6(2):310-43. doi:10.52911/itall.1773280