Generative AI and a sense of belonging in ELL

Abstract

In this issue, Simpson (2024) looks at how digital tools in the EAP context can foster a sense of belonging, using Wenger’s (1998) Communities of Practice (CoP) framework to gain theoretical purchase on his inquiry. The seminal CoP framework has been utilised to inform studies across a broad range of domains in educational research, including identity, social learning and institutional arrangements (Howard, 2021). Meanwhile, with the rapid development of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) models, particularly ChatGPT, there has been a proliferation of debate regarding its implications for education, including English language learning (ELL) (Samala et al., 2025). Bringing these two strands together, I consider how Wenger’s (1998) lens might be extended to consider AI’s inevitable presence in the realm of language learning. How can we ensure that GenAI models are utilised in a way that creates a sense of learner belonging, through the tripartite framework of engagement, imagination and alignment that Simpson (2024) mobilises in this issue?