English second language teaching and learning andChatGPT: Perspectives of university lecturers in Namibia

The research explored how ChatGPT could support English as a second language (ESL) teaching and learning in Namibia’s public universities, drawing on insights from lecturers at the University of Namibia (UNAM) and the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST). Guided by a constructivist philosophy, the study adopted a qualitative case study strategy with a descriptive exploratory research design. The population comprised English communication lecturers, and purposive sampling was used to select 20 lecturers teaching English communication skills modules at these universities. Data were collected via open-ended questionnaires and were analysed thematically. Findings reveal that while lecturers acknowledge ChatGPT’s pedagogical affordances, such as grammar correction, summarisation, vocabulary development, and idea generation, its integration is constrained by ethical concerns, student overreliance on AI-generated content, limited digital literacy among educators, the absence of institutional policies, and infrastructural challenges. The findings suggest that ChatGPT should be applied as a supplementary mechanism within ESL teaching, working alongside the indispensable human contributions of scaffolding, contextualised responses, and nurturing critical thought. It recommends formulating institutional policies, providing targeted digital pedagogical training for lecturers, and enhancing infrastructure to enable the responsible and productive use of AI technologies in ESL instruction across Namibia’s universities.