Learner Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence-Supported Feedback in Thai as a Foreign Language Learning: A Q Methodology Study

This study examines how Chinese university students learning Thai as a foreign language interpret artificial intelligence (AI)-supported feedback. Using Q methodology, 40 learners ranked 42 statements concerning feedback quality, teacher involvement, personalization, and communicative practice. By-person factor analysis identified four perspectives: Human-Centered Traditionalists, Optimistic Tech-Adopters, Guided Personalization Seekers, and Cautious Pragmatists. The perspectives differed in their trust in AI, preference for teacher mediation, and willingness to use AI for writing, grammar, pronunciation, and independent practice. Across factors, learners generally viewed AI as useful when its feedback was clear, contextually appropriate, and supported by human explanation. The findings show that AI-supported feedback should not be implemented as a uniform replacement for teacher feedback. Instead, effective integration requires flexible task design, learner training in critical feedback use, and alignment with communicative and cultural demands. The study offers a learner-centered basis for context-sensitive AI integration in less commonly taught language classrooms.