Teacher Educators' Readiness and Attitudes Toward Integrating Artificial Intelligence into Teacher-Preparation Curricula

Abstract

Existing research on AI readiness and attitudes has focused almost entirely on pre-service and K-12 in-service teachers, leaving teacher educators themselves largely out of the picture even though they shape how future teachers come to understand and use artificial intelligence (AI). This study aimed to examine the relationship between AI readiness and teacher educators' favorable attitudes and ethical/pedagogical concerns toward AI integration. A quantitative, correlational design was adopted for this purpose. Data was collected through a construct-based questionnaire administered to teacher educators across public and private colleges (N = 170). The instrument comprised three subscales: AI Readiness (12 items, α = .74), Favorable Attitudes (8 items, α = .71), and Ethical/Pedagogical Concerns (6 items, α = .73). Results showed that AI Readiness was significantly and positively correlated with Favorable Attitudes, r(168) = .30, p < .001, supporting the study's hypothesis, though the modest effect size (r² ≈ 9%) indicates readiness is one of several factors shaping attitudes. AI Readiness was also very strongly and positively correlated with Concerns, r (168) = .74, p < .001, r² ≈ 56%. Based on these findings, the study recommends that teacher-education administrators establish faculty AI readiness as a distinct professional-development priority, separate from general instructional-technology training, because teacher educators directly model AI use for future teachers, giving their own readiness a consequential, multiplying effect on the profession.

Keywords: AI readiness, teacher educators, technology acceptance model, favorable attitudes, ethical and pedagogical concerns, teacher preparation

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22015238