Exploring students' perceived negotiation of critical thinking with teachers, peers, and AI in EFL learning

With the advancement of AI, especially in education, learning and teaching have recently been transformed. UNESCO has developed the AI Competency Framework for Students. The core aspects help students develop critical thinking when interacting with learners, users, and AI. In the local community of AI co-creators, AI has been applied in the curriculum. This empowers students to become responsible and creative citizens. Many earlier studies have acknowledged the benefits of using AI in foreign language classrooms. However, AI itself is just a platform for mediated interactions. Students not only interact with AI but also with teachers and peers to establish a learning community. This study argues for the significant role of human interactions in helping students develop their critical thinking, alongside AI. Hence, this study aims to explore students' negotiation of critical thinking with teachers, peers, and AI in an English as a Foreign Language classroom. Using qualitative research methods, thirteen students participated in semi-structured interviews and reflective diaries. Using thematic analysis, the findings showed that students negotiated their critical thinking more often with teachers and peers than with AI. Students demonstrated primary-level critical thinking, including interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and self-regulation, when negotiating with teachers and peers. This study proposes pedagogical approaches, through activities and tasks, for teachers to activate students' critical thinking by negotiating with teachers, peers, and AI in the shared learning community.