Navigating Social Studies Lesson Planning with Generative AI: Exploring Pre-Service Teachers' Agency and Critical Digital Pedagogical Practices

• In Event: Constructing Futures with Technology: Digital Literacies, AI Integration, and Transformative Teacher Preparation

Abstract

This qualitative study investigates how preservice social studies teachers engage with generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools for instructional planning. Grounded in the Teacher Agency Framework and Critical Digital Pedagogy, the research employed a thematic analysis of data from 22 participants, including their AI interactions, reflections, and lesson plans. Findings reveal distinct usage patterns, from instrumental to critical, alongside a complex negotiation of perceptions including opportunity and anxiety. Results demonstrate that preservice teachers actively negotiate tensions between AI efficiency and professional integrity, exercising agency through critical evaluation and ethical reflection rather than passive adoption.

Authors

• Anna Eunji Kim, Pennsylvania State University

• Suyoung Park, The Pennsylvania State University

• Seunghoon Han, University of Northern Iowa