Believers, critics, and the unperturbed : Exploring preservice teachers’ perceptions of AI in relation to indicators of their readiness for teaching and learning with AI

AI applications are becoming increasingly present in education contexts calling on teacher education institutions to prepare teachers for using artificial intelligence (AI) to support their practice. Teacher training programs need to be tailored to the characteristics of their student teachers and thus integrating AI requires understanding student teachers’ orientations towards AI and their readiness for learning to use it. This study adopted the Will Skill Tool Pedagogy model (Knezek & Christensen, 2015) for describing the factors underlying preservice teachers’ future integration of AI in their practice. We investigated how early preservice teachers’ general orientation towards AI related to their motivation (Will), knowledge for using AI (Skill), awareness of different AI applications (Tool), and knowledge for using AI for teaching and learning (Pedagogy). Results showed that preservice teachers hold different orientations towards AI in education (critical, posistive, and unperturbed) and that these are related to differences in their Skill and Tool components. Holding unperturbed views was found to be related to having a very limited awareness of different AI applications. The findings of this study provide insight for teacher training institutions on the heterogeneity of incoming students teachers and suggest directions for future research.