Seminar: Interactional Reflexivity in the Age of AI: Rethinking L2 Writing Teachers’ Assessment Literacy Development

Interactional Reflexivity in the Age of AI:
Rethinking L2 Writing Teachers’ Assessment Literacy Development

Professor Hao Xu
National Research Centre for Foreign Language Education
Beijing Foreign Studies University 

October 9, 2025 (Thursday)
16:45 – 18:00
Room 401-402, Meng Wah Complex, HKU
Chair: Professor George Jiang

Abstract:
As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into educational assessment, its impact on teachers’ own professional development remains underexplored. This seminar presents findings from a multi-case study of six senior high school EFL teachers in China who used the AI tool Wen Xin Yi Yan to support L2 writing assessment. While AI tools are often assumed to enhance instructional practices, the study found that only those teachers who engaged in both proactive interaction with the AI and reflective meaning-making experienced growth in their assessment literacy. This dual process, termed interactional reflexivity, emerges as a key mechanism for utilising AI not just for student assessment, but for teacher learning. The seminar will unpack this concept and discuss its implications for AI-integrated teacher development, responsible tool use, and the evolving role of assessment literacy in the digital age.

About the speaker:  
Dr. Hao Xu is a Professor of Applied Linguistics at National Research Centre for Foreign Language Education, Beijing Foreign Studies University. His research interests include language teacher education, L2 writing, and educational assessment. His research examines the intersection of teacher development, language policy, and emerging technologies, with a particular focus on how digital tools reshape assessment practices and professional learning. He has published extensively in international journals such as Assessing Writing, Language and Education, and Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. Dr. Xu also serves as an associate editor of International Journal of Applied Linguistics. He regularly contributes to national policy dialogues on foreign language education reform in China.

~ All are welcome ~
~ This seminar is sponsored by Tin Ka Ping Visiting Fellowship Scheme ~ 
For enquiries, please contact the Office of Research, Faculty of Education at hkchow@hku.hk