Digital literacy and AI adoption in lSP teaching: a Croatian perspective

The rapid development of digital technologies has significantly changed pedagogical approaches in higher education and requires continuous improvement of teachers’competences. This study explores how teachers of languages for specific purposes (LSP) in Croatian higher education institutions are adapting to these changes byintegrating digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) into their teaching practise. Using the European Commission’s DigCompEdu framework (Redecker, 2017), thestudy presents LSP teachers’ self-assessment of their digital competences and their current use of digital tools in LSP teaching. In addition, the study examines thefrequency and purpose of the use of AI tools. Based on an online survey of 80 higher education LSP teachers, results show a generally positive attitude towardAI tools, especially for preparing teaching materials, with ChatGPT being the most frequently used tool. Although many participants reported moderate to high digitalcompetence, these findings should be interpreted with caution due to the inherent limitations of self-assessment, which may reflect perceived rather than actualcompetences. Furthermore, despite a relatively frequent use of AI tools, especially for grammar and vocabulary tasks, participants expressed a strong interest in furtherAI-related training. The findings suggest that while AI tools are already widely used, their full pedagogical potential remains underutilised, particularly due to a lack ofintegration into assessment practices and limited focus on developing higher-order thinking skills. This highlights the need for targeted professional development indigital literacy and skills to enhance the overall teaching and learning process.