BEYOND THE TRADITIONAL PARADIGM: RE-ENVISIONING ENGLISH LITERATURE PEDAGOGY THROUGH AN AI-TPACK FRAMEWORK IN SOUTH PUNJAB UNIVERSITIES ALIGNED WITH SDG 4

Abstract

This qualitative study focuses on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) as a pedagogical tool in teaching English Literature in South Punjab Public Sector Universities, the two major divisions of South Punjab Pakistan, Dera Ghazi Khan and Multan. The study fills a fundamental epistemological gap within the academic literature that is largely focusing on the STEM fields and Global North systems and structures; the study explores AI as a catalyst in pedagogy in the field of the Humanities. It combines the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) model with five specific SDG 4 goals such as Target 4.3 (equitable access to higher education), Target 4.5 (elimination of educational discrimination), Target 4.7 (education for sustainable development), Target 4.9 (expansion of higher education scholarships), and Target 4.a (increase in qualified teachers), that are the key target components of SDG 4 quality education.

The qualitative data was collected using a semi-structured, qualitative interview protocol involving a purposely stratified sample of 20 English Literature faculty members (10 male, 10 female; 10 from Dera Ghazi Khan, 10 from Multan) and followed by six phase thematic analysis using NVivo 12 Pro. It has found four general themes, namely: (1) Demographic Context and Institutional Realities, (2) AI Tools and Faculty Perceptions, (3) Operationalisation of the TPACK Model, and (4) Systemic Barriers to SDG 4 Awareness. Results confirm an emergent AI-TPACK theoretical framework and produce aimed policy suggestions to the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. Most significantly, the study predicts that, in South Punjab-under-resourced situations, AI adoption does not and will not ameliorate educational inequity but, instead, makes it antithetical to the fundamental requirements of SDG 4, unless supported by an essential infrastructural redress. Future studies might follow the longitudinal influence of Humanities-based TPACK, compare the use of AI-TPack in the Global South, and generalize research to encompass the use of both the private and rural institutions in Pakistan