The present study investigates the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools by pre-service teachers (PSTs) in lesson planning for a middle-school English as a foreign language (EFL) class, aiming to address gaps and inform teacher training. The case study examined PSTs in a South Korean university course who were tasked with creating lesson plans using generative AI to aid in lesson plan development for a middle school lesson that incorporated generative AI. Data were analyzed thematically, and results revealed that generative AI was used in topic selection, material creation, lesson organization, and language checking. While generative AI facilitated efficiency and creativity, challenges emerged, including the quality of outputs and limited incorporation of effective pedagogical strategies. These findings indicate a need for targeted training in prompt engineering, ethical considerations, pedagogy, and collaborative practices to enhance PSTs’ generative AI competencies. This study contributes to teacher education programs by providing insights into the practical integration of generative AI in pedagogical practices.

The study is aimed at investigating the impact of self- and peer-assessment on students’ teacher efficacy and satisfaction in lesson planning at a university foreign language pedagogy course. Four self- and peer-assessment sessions for developing pedagogically sound lesson plans were held for 7 weeks. Nineteen students participated in the study. A student questionnaire was collected to see if self- and peer-assessment affected students’ teacher efficacy twice in weeks 1 and 7. In addition, in-depth interviews were conducted to understand students’ perceptions of self- and peer-assessment in terms of its benefits and room for improvement. The research revealed the findings as follows. Firstly, there was a statistically significant impact of self- and peer-assessment of lesson plans on both domains of teacher-efficacy: personal teaching efficacy and teaching outcome expectancy. Secondly, students found self- and peer-assessment satisfactory and useful when building lesson plans. Thirdly, themes for benefits of self- and peer-assessment were ‘objective perspective,’ ‘heightened insight,’ and ‘reflective thinking.’ Lastly, two themes for room for improvement in peer-assessment were ‘offering positive feedback’ and ‘working on the same period.’