On the Role of Perceived Teacher Support in Predicting EFL Learner Well-Being in Artificial Intelligence (AI)-Based Context: The Mediating Roles of Self-Efficacy and Resilience

Abstract

Within the changing perspective of artificial intelligence (AI) teaching, English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students normally face an extensive range of educational challenges and difficulties, which can put their well-being at risk. Therefore, taking into account the elements that affect EFL students' well-being is crucial. Teachers' support might not be overlooked because of the valuable effect of teachers on learners' psychological states. Simultaneously, mental factors like self-efficacy and resilience are extensively accepted as crucial predictors of educational achievement. Nevertheless, comprehending the way they influence well-being in AI-based settings is a sphere of increasing academic interest. Guided by Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and employing structural equation modelling (SEM), the research examined how teacher support influences students' well-being, with self-efficacy and resilience acting as mediators in AI-based settings. The data collected from 373 college learners indicate that teacher support is a strong predictor of well-being, and likewise, resilience and self-efficacy were found to have a mediating effect in this connection, stressing their effects on improving resilience and self-efficacy, thus improving learners' well-being. Importantly, self-efficacy appeared as a powerful and more permanent mediator than resilience, underscoring its critical role in empowering students to use AI tools confidently and persevere in digital language activities.