Reframing AI as Amplifier: Disciplinary Logics and Learner Agency in EFL Academic Reading

• In Event: AER Roundtable Session Friday 1:45 pm - Gold 4
  In Roundtable Session: Using AI to Learn in Multi-lingual Contexts

Abstract

Amidst the rising adoption of GenAI in multilingual universities, this qualitative study explores how social-cultural contexts, including disciplinary cultures and societal values, influence EFL students’ academic reading with AI. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory, Cognitive Load Theory, and Field Theory, analysis of 32 interviews and 45 questionnaires shows that AI amplifies disciplinary tendencies, supporting inquiry in some cases and reinforcing instrumentalism in others. Patterns such as bypassing reflection or engaging in dialogic sense-making are shaped not only by disciplinary norms but also by wider societal and cultural values surrounding language ideologies and learner agency. Reframing AI literacy as a justice-oriented practice grounded in epistemic humility, this research emphasizes the importance of discipline- and context-sensitive scaffolding to promote equitable, critical engagement.

Authors

• Xiaohang Luo, University of Pennsylvania

• Yingqi Wang, University of Hong Kong