Leaving Behind the Red Pen: Transforming Teacher Feedback Literacy and Reflective Practices through Artificial Intelligence

While Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools show promise in enhancing educational feedback processes, research on pre-service teachers' readiness to incorporate these tools remains limited. This quasi-experimental study investigated how AI integration affects the development of feedback literacy and reflective practice skills among pre-service English teachers. The study involved 59 third and fourth-year English Language Teaching students divided into experimental (n = 29) and control (n = 30) groups. Both groups received identical theoretical training on feedback literacy; however, the experimental group used AI-tools like (ChatGPT 4o / Claude) during practice sessions, while the control group employed traditional paper-and-pencil methods. Data were collected through the Teacher Reflective Practice Scale and Foreign Language Writing Teacher Feedback Literacy Scale over a six-week intervention period. Non-parametric analyses revealed that while groups showed similar baseline scores based on pre-test comparisons, the experimental group demonstrated significantly higher gains across all dimensions of feedback literacy (perceived knowledge, values, skills) and reflective practice (interpersonal, intrapersonal, critical, behavioral, strategic). These findings suggest that integrating AI tools into feedback processes can considerably enhance pre-service teachers' professional development, offering implications for teacher education curricula.