This preliminary study examines how three generative AI tools, ChatGPT-4, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot, support B+ level English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students in opinion essay writing. Conducted at a preparatory school in Türkiye, the study explored student use of the tools for brainstorming, outlining, and feedback across three essay tasks. A mixed methods design combined rubric-based evaluations, surveys, and reflections. Quantitative results showed no significant differences between tools for most criteria, indicating comparable performance in idea generation, essay structuring, and feedback. The only significant effect was in the feedback stage, where ChatGPT-4 scored higher than both Gemini and Copilot for actionability. In the brainstorming stage, a difference in argument relevance was observed across tools, but this was not statistically significant after post-hoc analysis. Qualitative findings revealed task-specific preferences: Gemini was favored for clarity and variety in brainstorming and outlining, ChatGPT-4 for detailed, clear, and actionable feedback, and Copilot for certain organizational strengths. While the tools performed similarly overall, perceptions varied by task and tool, highlighting the value of allowing flexible tool choice in EFL writing instruction.

Learning to read constitutes one of the most important cognitive abilities students acquire during their education, and teachers’ knowledge of reading instruction is considered significant to teaching quality and students’ achievement. This paper aims to systematically review the existing research on teacher knowledge of reading instruction over the past six years, following the PRISMA statement’s guidelines, to identify the current research trends, areas of research, and research gaps. Three main research areas are identified in the 22 reviewed articles, namely (a) Teacher knowledge (TK) exploration, (b) TK assessment, and (c) TK development. More specifically, research on TK exploration includes sub-themes such as examining TK, investigating the relationship between TK and practice and student achievement, and influencing factors of TK. TK assessment includes research on the development and validation of more comprehensive measurement tools to assess teachers’ content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge of reading instruction. TK development involves the effectiveness of interventions on TK of reading instruction in teachers’ professional development programs. Future studies are recommended to use a more diverse range of methods, including both quantitative and qualitative approaches to study teachers’ knowledge in their classroom practice, and to focus on teachers’ active role as knowledge constructors. Studies in L2 reading contexts are also recommended.