Top-Down vs. Grassroots: A Comparative Study on AI Integration Barriers in K–12 in South Korea and the United States

• In Event: Sunday Roundtable Session 3:05 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Technology as a Bridge Builder (Table 37)

Abstract

This case study investigated AI education integration barriers, comparing the contexts in the United States and South Korea from the perspectives of K-12 educators. Ten K-12 educators were interviewed individually for this study. Ertmer’s first-order (e.g., resources) and second-order (e.g., beliefs) barriers to change framework (1999) was implemented to analyze the data. Findings suggest: In both groups, 1) training is essential to address first-order barriers; 2) teachers’ buy-ins result in minimum second-order barriers; and 3) a new barrier evolving from a desire wanting to do more. The main difference between these two groups is that teachers in South Korea who were positioned in the top-down approach revealed a new barrier that was not discussed in Ertmer’s framework.

Authors

• Wanju Huang, Purdue University

• Wonjin Yu, Purdue University