What Deserve Studying the Most? A Q-Methodology Approach to Explore Stakeholders' Perspectives on Research Priorities in GenAI-Supported Second Language Education

Abstract

Recently, there has been a significant increase in research on Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in the domain of second language (L2) education. Given the limited resources, it is essential for GenAI research to focus on key areas. However, there is still uncertainty about which topics should be prioritised. Research priorities are often shaped by individual researchers' personal interests, which can skew the focus of many studies. Additionally, stakeholder perspectives on these topics can vary widely. Therefore, this study employs the Q methodology to reveal the consensus among different stakeholder groups. To this end, a total of 19 participants, including six researchers, six teachers and seven students, engaged in a Q-sort exercise involving 34 statements. Through KADE software, the subsequent Centroid Factor Analysis and varimax rotation were used to extract patterns. The analysis revealed three common perspectives across stakeholder groups: psychological factors of teachers and students, multiple scenarios of measurement and the improvement of L2 competence. These findings provide valuable insights that can inform and refine research agendas in GenAI for L2 education, optimising the allocation of resources.