THE INFLUENCE OF AI READINESS, DIGITAL COMPETENCE, AND SCHOOL LEADERSHIP ON ENGLISH TEACHERS' ADOPTION OF GENERATIVE AI

Author: Malaysia

Abstract

The rapid emergence of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot has reshaped pedagogical practices in English language education, yet teachers' adoption of these tools remains uneven and under-theorised. This study examined the influence of AI readiness, digital competence, and school leadership support on English language teachers' adoption of generative AI in classroom practice. Grounded in the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and the DigCompEdu framework, a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was employed. Data were collected from 220 secondary school English teachers using a validated 32-item questionnaire and analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics through descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression. Results showed that AI readiness (β = .34, p < .001), digital competence (β = .29, p < .001), and school leadership support (β = .24, p < .001) each significantly and positively predicted GenAI adoption, jointly explaining 52.7% of the variance in adoption (R² = .527, adjusted R² = .520, F (3, 216) = 80.14, p < .001). AI readiness emerged as the strongest individual predictor, followed by digital competence and school leadership support. The findings underscore that successful GenAI integration in English language teaching depends not only on teachers' individual psychological and technical preparedness, but also on the enabling role of supportive, technologically visionary school leadership. Implications for teacher professional development, school-level AI policy, and future research directions are discussed.