From technology anxiety to technology symbiosis: a grounded theory study of mid-career foreign language teachers' subjectivity evolution in the AI era.

The integration of generative AI into foreign language education has profoundly challenged teacher professional identity, particularly for mid-career educators navigating the dual burden of experiential wisdom and technological change. This study employed grounded theory to investigate how 10 mid-career foreign language teachers transition from technology anxiety to symbiosis. Through in-depth interviews and systematic coding, we developed a theoretical model comprising four anxiety types (substitution, autonomy, generational, ethical), three adaptive stages (exploration adjustment, strategy integration, autonomous symbiosis), and the double-edged effects of experiential wisdom as the core mediating mechanism. Findings reveal that experiential wisdom can function as either an evolutionary resource (critical scrutiny, pedagogical design, humanistic commitment) or a barrier (thinking set inertia) depending on its activation mode, with support systems moderating this process. The study reveals the existential dimensions of technology anxiety and offers stage-sensitive implications for supporting mid-career teachers' professional growth in the AI era.