<![CDATA[Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly reshaping English language teaching (ELT) and engaging with AI in pedagogically meaningful, ethical, and reflective ways. This study investigates English as foreign language (EFL) pre-service teachers’ perspectives on AI literacy and metacognitive awareness (MA) in the context of ELT. It explores how they understand and use AI tools in pedagogical practice. A mixed methods approach was employed, involving a survey of 225 respondents who completed the online questionnaire via Google Forms and a semi-structured interview with 20 participants to gain comprehensive insights into their perceptions and experiences. The quantitative findings reveal strong agreement that AI plays a role in providing flexible, effective, efficient, and personalized learning. However, neutral stances were highlighted regarding their understanding of different types of AI tools and their ability to distinguish between generative and non-generative AI, indicating a gap in their AI literacy. Also, the participants agreed on their MA in using AI, particularly in evaluating benefits and risks, determining appropriate AI use, and aligning AI tools integration with the learning objectives. Qualitative data further highlight opportunities such as skill development, learning autonomy, and AI support, while also addressing concerns about overdependence, a decline in critical thinking, ethical issues, and administrative workload. The study highlights the importance of integrating AI literacy and MA into the teacher education curriculum to foster not only proficiency with AI tools but also ethical, critical, pedagogically contextual, and meaningful AI integration in ELT.]]>
