TEACHER EDUCATION AND AI: A STUDY ON PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS' PERCEPTIONS AND ATTITUDES

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence is progressively and, at times, controversially changing the educational landscape, yet teacher preparation programs have been quite liberal in incorporating AI literacy into their curriculum. The present research work is aiming to reveal the perceptions and attitudes of future teachers regarding the AI-trend in education. The study has investigated 280 pre-service teachers in several teacher education institutions through a survey, and has also performed a qualitative focus group discussion with 45 participants. The results indicate a contradiction: on the one hand, 73% of pre-service teachers recognize the educational importance of AI growing; on the other hand, only 34% consider that they are adequately prepared to cope with and work with AI tools in their future class. Besides, there are huge discrepancies in the areas of AI knowledge, technology-use-confidence, and the understanding of how AI can be used in teaching. However, age, previous experience with technology, and the subject area of specialization significantly affected the attitudes towards AI. The research pointed out several key difficulties such as the lack of adequate training, the issue of ethics, and the fear of technology taking over the teaching profession. The findings put a spotlight on the prompt need for reform in teacher education. Hence, the area of AI literacy has to be included in the curricula of teacher training. The study provides insights on how upcoming teachers view new technologies and proposes strategies for the timely equipping of teachers in AI-aided educational environments.

Keywords: Teacher education, artificial intelligence, pre-service teachers, technology integration, AI literacy, pedagogical attitudes, educational technology