The Evolution of Teacher Roles in AI-Dominated English Classrooms: A Sociological Perspective

Abstract

The integration of artificial intelligence into English language classrooms has precipitated a fundamental reconfiguration of teacher identity, function, and social positioning. This review examines that transformation through a sociological lens, foregrounding structural shifts rather than technological affordances alone. It traces how pedagogical authority has migrated from human mediation toward algorithmically scaffolded interaction, altering the teacher's relationship to knowledge transmission, student assessment, and classroom governance. The analysis identifies two interlocking dimensions: first, the redefinition of instructional labor---where tasks once rooted in interpretive judgment (e.g., evaluating rhetorical nuance, diagnosing idiosyncratic linguistic development) are increasingly delegated to adaptive systems; second, the emergence of new professional identities centered on curatorial oversight, ethical arbitration, and socio-affective scaffolding---roles that resist automation yet demand novel forms of sociocultural competence. Drawing on institutional ethnography and role theory, the paper argues that teacher agency is neither erased nor preserved intact but redistributed across hybrid human--machine assemblages, with consequences for equity, accountability, and professional legitimacy. It further contends that prevailing models of teacher preparation remain misaligned with these emergent responsibilities, privileging content mastery over systemic literacy in AI-mediated learning ecologies. The review concludes by proposing a framework for reconceptualizing teacher roles not as replacements to be managed, but as evolving nodes within dynamic educational infrastructures---where pedagogical sovereignty is negotiated, not assigned.