Abstract
This study investigated the role of adaptive and intelligent technologies as emerging frontiers in contemporary English Language Teaching, with particular attention to personalized learning, learner autonomy, instructional effectiveness, and contextual challenges in higher education. Employing a qualitative interpretive design, the research was conducted in a university setting involving English lecturers and undergraduate students who had direct experience with AI supported and adaptive learning platforms. Data were collected through semi structured interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis, and were examined using thematic analysis to identify recurring pedagogical patterns and experiential meanings. The findings indicated that adaptive and intelligent technologies enhanced differentiated instruction, immediate formative feedback, and self-regulated learning behaviors, leading to increased engagement and reading comprehension. However, the study also revealed infrastructural limitations, unequal digital access, varying levels of digital literacy, and ethical concerns related to data privacy and algorithmic transparency, which shaped the depth and sustainability of implementation. The discussion highlighted those intelligent technologies functioned most effectively when mediated by active lecturer support and supported by institutional readiness rather than operating as standalone solutions. The study therefore contributed theoretically by integrating perspectives from adaptive learning, sociocultural mediation, and self-regulated learning in ELT, and contributed practically by emphasizing the need for infrastructure development, professional training, and ethical governance. Overall, adaptive and intelligent technologies were positioned as transformative yet evolving pedagogical resources whose long term impact depended on continuous contextual and institutional support.