Bridging the AI Equity Gap: Unfunded Mandates and Teacher Resistance

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 9:45 am - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: Algorithms of Power: AI, Policy, and the Future of Education

Abstract

This study examines AI integration in underfunded Chinese schools where K-12 funding is less than seventy percent of the regional average. Infrastructure gaps and teacher resistance driven by workload skepticism and technological concerns constrain educational equity. Using a comprehensive critical policy analysis framework that integrates Taylor’s (1997) emphasis on interpretation and agency, Walt and Gibson’s (1994) policy triangle model, and Diem et al.’s (2014) methodology for deconstructing policy texts. Complemented by qualitative interviews and a framework combining Freirean pedagogy, intersectionality, and leadership mediation. This research reveals how strategic mediation transforms resistance into conscientization-driven innovations such as offline dialect libraries and peer initiatives, demonstrating that teacher skepticism, addressed through resourceful leadership, can become solutions promoting social justice in resource-scarce contexts.

Authors

• Ban Wang, HONG KONG UNIVERSITY

• Paul Campbell, The University of Hong Kong