Factors shaping the adoption of artificial intelligence in education

Abstract

With the growing influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education, this study explores the factors shaping the intention of future teachers and educators to integrate AI-based tools into their practices, building upon existing research on AI in education. It investigates how variables such as intelligent-ethical Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), AI-related anxiety, subjective norms, AI for social good, and self-assessed AI competence influence this intention. Data were collected from 157 pre-service teachers at the Faculties of Education in Jagodina and Belgrade, and multiple regression analysis revealed that 72.9% of the variance in intention to use AI was explained by these variables. Intelligent-ethical TPACK (b = 0.501, p < 0.001) emerged as the strongest predictor, followed by AI for social good (b = 0.296, p < 0.001) and subjective norms (b = 0.195, p < 0.01). The results highlight the importance of enhancing teacher education programs to develop intelligent-ethical TPACK and awareness of AI's role in promoting social good.