Pre-Service Teachers and Generative AI: Perceptions, Professional Impacts, and Pedagogical Readiness

• In Event: Integrating AI in Pre-service Teacher Education

Abstract

This single-case study explores pre-service teachers’ perceptions of AI in education, focusing on its roles, impacts, required competencies, and risks. Eighteen senior teacher candidates engaged in a four-week asynchronous online module, contributing reflections and discussions. Participants viewed AI as a supportive tool for lesson planning, differentiation, and student engagement, while expressing concerns about overreliance, bias, privacy, and inequity. They emphasized the need for digital literacy, critical thinking, and ethical awareness. Participants advocated for professional development grounded in real-world cases and reflection to help teachers navigate AI’s complexities in educational contexts. The study argues that teacher education must go beyond technical skills to promote reflective, justice-oriented approaches to AI integration in classrooms.

Authors

• Gulbahar Yilmaz, Michigan State University

• Aman Yadav, Michigan State University