ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE LITERACY AMONG LANGUAGE ACADEMICS AT USIM: AN ASSESSMENT OF AFFECTIVE, BEHAVIOURAL, COGNITIVE AND ETHICAL DIMENSIONS

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based teaching approaches have gained increasing attention in Malaysia’s higher education system, particularly in relation to the Higher Education Development Plan 2026–2035. Although previous studies have reported low to moderate levels of AI literacy among educators, limited empirical attention has been given to AI literacy within language education contexts, where pedagogical interaction, communicative competence, and ethical considerations are central topics. Drawing on a multidimensional AI literacy framework encompassing cognitive, affective, behavioural, and ethical dimensions, this study assessed AI literacy among language academics at the Faculty of Major Language Studies (FPBU) at Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM). A bilingual Malay–English version of the Artificial Intelligence Literacy Questionnaire (AILQ) was administered to 72 academic staff. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential methods to determine overall AI literacy levels, relationships between demographic factors and AI literacy, and correlations among the AI literacy dimensions. The findings revealed a high level of self-reported AI literacy among the participants. Further analysis showed no significant relationship between gender, age, years of services and the participants’ AI literacy. However, significant correlations were found between affective and behavioural learning and between affective and cognitive learning, while the correlation between affective and ethical learning was relatively low. Overall, the findings suggest that language academics at FPBU USIM report relatively high AI literacy across the measured dimensions. This study contributes to the theoretical understanding of AI literacy dimensions and offers practical implications for institutional policy, professional development, and AI integration strategies in language education.