Language education amid digital disruption: in-service and pre-service teacher perspectives on AI language bias and curriculum integration

Adopting a comparative perspective between pre-service and in-service teachers, this study investigated the potential heterogeneity underlying foreign language (FL) teachers’ artificial intelligence (AI) readiness and its influence on their behavioral intention to use AI. Data were collected from 492 pre-service and 533 in-service FL teachers through an online survey. The results revealed significantly higher levels of AI readiness and behavioral intention among pre-service teachers compared to their in-service counterparts. A person-centered approach through latent profile analysis (LPA) identified three AI readiness profiles among pre-service teachers and four AI readiness profiles among in-service teachers, with the majority of both groups demonstrating a moderate level of AI readiness. Multigroup partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) supported the predictive role of AI readiness on behavioral intention to use AI for both teacher groups. Significant differences were also observed between the two groups regarding the predictive effects of AI-technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) and institutional support on behavioral intention. The findings provide insights into fostering AI readiness through tailored teacher education to support effective AI integration in FL education.

This study attempted to investigate pre-service and in-service EFL teachers’ levels of knowledge in content, pedagogy, and technology in relation to their gender, Internet access at school, and technology training in Saudi Arabia. The Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework was utilized to (1) examine pre-service and in-service EFL teachers’ levels of TPACK; (2) investigate the differences between pre-service and in-service EFL teachers’ levels of TPACK; (3) scrutinize whether gender, Internet access at school, and technology training had any significant effect on pre-service EFL teachers’ levels of TPACK; and (4) analyze whether gender, Internet access at school, and technology training had any significant effect on in-service EFL teachers’ levels of TPACK. The participants in this study were (111) EFL pre-service teachers and (106) EFL in-service teachers. The descriptive statistical analysis (mean and standard deviation) revealed that the pre-service teachers’ overall level of TPACK was moderate scoring highest in TK, TPK, and TCK and lowest in CK and PK respectively. On the other hand, the in-service teachers’ overall level of TPACK was moderate scoring highest in CK, PK, and PCK and lowest in TK, TPK, and TCK respectively. The inferential statistical analysis (t-test) indicated a statistically significant difference between pre-service and in-service teachers’ levels of TPACK. All the seven sub-domains of TPACK were significant, with pre-service teachers scoring higher in TK, TCK, and TPK while in-service teachers scoring higher in CK, PK, PCK, and TPACK. The inferential analysis also showed that gender, Internet access at school, and technology training had a significant effect on both pre-service and in-service EFL teachers’ levels of TPACK. The study concluded that both pre-service teacher education programs and in-service teacher training courses need to focus on the connections and interactions between content, pedagogy, and technology in order to help EFL teachers integrate technology effectively into their teaching process. The study recommended investigating other factors that might be predictive of teachers’ levels of TPACK.

The concept of pedagogical content knowledge is integral to teaching as a profession and is often considered to be an important aspect of a teacher’s lived experience. Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is described as a transformation of teacher knowledge from a variety of domains of knowledge, which includes subject matter knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and knowledge about content. This exploratory study reports on in-service natural science teachers’ inferences regarding preservice teachers’ performance in natural science teaching, as observed during a practice teaching period. Perspectives of in-service teachers of the different knowledge domains of pre-service teachers during their final year were investigated. Semi-structured interviews, incorporating a specific set of open-ended questions, were conducted with in-service teachers following a practice teaching period of four weeks. The findings indicate that the in-service teachers rated the pre-service teachers positively in some knowledge domains but less positively in other knowledge domains. This has prompted some rethinking on the structure and presentation of the curriculum, in our undergraduate teacher education programme, to include and accommodate approaches that would enable better uptake of various knowledge domains and improve PCK development.Keywords: in-service teachers; pedagogical content knowledge; pre-service teachers; teacher knowledge

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is actively involved in many areas of contemporary society. As in many other fields, it has pioneered a significant transformation in language education. As today’s preservice teachers will shape the future, it is crucial to understand their attitudes toward using AI in language classrooms. Hence, this study aims to examine the attitudes towards AI of pre-service English language teachers studying at a state university in Turkey. A mixed-method research design was adopted. Data was collected via a scale with the participation of 193 pre-service English as a Foreign Language teachers and analyzed in line with various descriptive variables. Qualitative data were collected through in-depth interviews with 10 participants and analyzed via thematic analysis. Quantitative findings show that male participants have more positive attitudes towards AI, and individuals who are familiar with AI and have used AI have more positive attitudes. In addition, third-year students were found to have higher behavioral attitude scores compared to first-year students. The results of the qualitative analysis revealed that themes such as the challenges faced in the integration of AI into educational processes, the potential benefits it provides, participants' preferences for these technologies, and predictions about the future of AI in education came to the fore.

Artificial intelligence becomes increasingly prominent in digital language teaching and learning and it will gain even more significance in the future of EFL education (cf. Schmidt & Strasser 2022). Therefore, it is key to explore how those who will shape this future perceive the newest development: pre-service EFL teachers. As Zheng puts it: “EFL pre-service teacher beliefs are the focus of change in the process of education” (2009), consequently their perceptions and beliefs regarding this evolving area of teaching and learning are of utmost importance. Focussing on the latest developments in ChatGPT, this paper aims to give a first insight into the potential and limitations of this AI platform from the perspectives of pre-service teachers in Germany. Therefore, this research project explores the following research questions: o RQ1: Do student teachers consider ChatGPT relevant for their future teaching practice? o RQ2: In which areas of language education do they see potential changes due to ChatGPT? In what ways? o RQ3: Are there any differences in the perception of ChatGPT between tech-savvy and non-tech-savvy student teachers? The research instrument is a combination of the "technology commitment" scale (Neyer et al. 2016) and items developed specifically for this research project. For RQ3, the analysis refers to existing preliminary work that was able to establish a relationship between technology commitment and the probability of technology application (cf. Knetzek & Christensen 2016). Based on the results of the survey, this paper then aims to offer new perspectives for EFL teacher education and outline concrete reflection activities that further pre-service teachers’ critical engagement with AI in language education.

This study examines the perceptions of in-service and pre-service preschool teachers regarding the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into early childhood education. It explores teachers’ views on AI’s pedagogical potential, associated ethical concerns-particularly data privacy and digital well-being-and their professional development needs. Using a qualitative case-study design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten in-service and five pre-service teachers in Türkiye. The interviews were transcribed and analysed thematically following Creswell’s framework, with intercoder agreement exceeding 90 percent. Both groups viewed AI as a potentially valuable tool for supporting personalized learning, fostering creativity, and reducing teachers’ routine workload. However, in-service teachers expressed more practice-based concerns, including reduced face-to-face interaction, shortened attention spans, and uncertainties regarding the security and governance of children’s data. Pre-service teachers, while generally positive, demonstrated limited practical readiness, reflecting their primarily theoretical exposure to AI during teacher education. The findings highlight the need for targeted professional development, clearer ethical guidelines, and meaningful family engagement to ensure developmentally appropriate and responsible AI use in early childhood settings. This study offers preliminary yet informative insights that may guide future curriculum design, teacher-education initiatives, and emerging policy discussions surrounding the pedagogically sound and ethically responsible integration of AI in early learning environments.

Background : The knowledge that a mathematics teacher should master has taken an increasing interest in recent years. Very few studies focused on comparing didactic-mathematic knowledge of in-service and pre-service teachers aimed at identifying features of the teachers’ didactic-mathematical knowledge on specific topics that can establish a line between pre-service and in-service teachers’ knowledge for teaching. Objective : The research aims to compare derivative knowledge of pre-service and in-service teachers to identify similarities and differences between teachers’ knowledge. Design : This research is a mixed and interpretative study. Settings and Participants : The participants were 22 pre-service teachers, and 11 in-service teachers enrolled in a pre-service teacher education programme and a master’s programme, respectively. Data collection and participants : Data were collected based on a questionnaire designed purposefully for the study. Results : The results show that pre-service teachers lack both epistemic derivative knowledge, while in-service teachers not only have this knowledge but relates it to its use in teaching. Pre-service teachers may not be making sense of the concept of derivative means, much less related to teaching. Conclusions : The insufficiencies found in pre-service teachers’ knowledge justify the pertinence to design specific formative cycles to develop prospective teachers’ epistemic facet of didactic-mathematical knowledge. It is recommended that both in-service and pre-service teachers discuss activities in which they can identify and reflect on possible mistakes and errors made by students. The development of these formative cycles should consider the complexity of the global meaning of the derivative.

PurposeThis study explored preservice and in-service early childhood teachers' online academic learning beliefs and strategies.Design/methodology/approachTwo hundred preservice and in-service teachers respectively from Taiwan participated in this research. A focus group discussion was carried out concerning the development of the questionnaires. The exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis confirmed good construct validity and reliabilities of the survey.FindingsThe survey results showed that in-service teachers generally held more sophisticated learning beliefs than the preservice teachers in all scales. Also, in-service teachers responded with a higher level of online academic learning strategies than the preservice teachers did. Regarding their online experiences, preservice teachers who spent an appropriate amount of time online had more positive beliefs than those with excessive online experiences. However, preservice teachers did not reveal employment of their ICT literacy in their online academic learning strategies. It was found that those in-service teachers with more online learning experience also showed higher levels of online academic learning beliefs. They used more deep strategies in their online academic learning.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study could provide insights for the development of online academic learning ability in preschool teacher training programs.Originality/value(1) In-service teachers generally held more sophisticated learning beliefs than the preservice teachers. (2) Preservice teachers who spent an appropriate amount of time online had more positive beliefs than those with excessive online experiences. (3) Preservice teachers did not reveal employment of their ICT literacy in their online academic learning strategies. (4) In-service teachers with more online learning experience also showed higher levels of online academic learning beliefs. They used more deep strategies in their online academic learning.

The increasing trend to mainstream students with educational challenges (SEC) has obligated mainstream teachers to develop different approaches to deal with heterogeneous classes. Previous research on in-service and pre-service teachers has shown that successful inclusion is correlated with positive attitudes towards inclusion, a high sense of self-efficacy, and minimal stigmatization of SEC. However, it remains unclear whether training programs for in-service and pre-service teachers can impact initial attitudes towards inclusive education. This study examined the different components of attitudes towards inclusion in three groups: in-service teachers, pre-service teachers, and college students enrolled in non-education majors. An online questionnaire was administered by a survey company to 489 participants: in-service teachers who had at least one SEC in their classes (n=196), pre-service teachers (n=143), and college students (n=150). The results showed that pre-service teachers had the most positive attitude towards inclusion of SEC, whereas in-service teachers had the most negative attitude. Attitudes towards inclusion were predicted by stigmatizing attitudes and self-efficacy. Stigmatizing attitudes were predicted by gender, religion, education, and self-efficacy. Thus, the main route to more inclusive and less prejudiced teachers may lie in strengthening teachers' self-efficacy. These results have implications for training programs, which should focus on eliminating myths, strengthening the concept of inclusion throughout the entire program, and enhancing the expertise of in-service teachers.

The main purpose of this study is to assess pre-service and public elementary mathematics school teachers’ conceptual understanding and computational abilities of fractions. 20 pre-service mathematics teachers and 24 in-service mathematics teachers participated in this study. In-service teachers were divided into two categories; one for teachers having a degree in mathematics and the other for teachers having a degree in any other discipline. Results showed that both pre-service and in-service teachers’ computational knowledge is greater than their representational knowledge. However, in-service teachers had difficulties in multiplication of mixed numbers (41.7% correct answers). The study revealed that regarding the computational knowledge no significant difference was found between in-service and pre-service teachers. When considering representational abilities, pre-service teachers were able to perform better than in-service teachers. The difference was significant (p<0.005). however, when we compared preservice teachers’ performance to in service teachers who graduated from the faculty of pedagogy, there was no significant difference (p=0.717). Moreover, faculty of pedagogy graduate in-service teachers performed better than preservice teachers which shed a light on the importance of teachers’ specialization even in elementary classes.

In this study, we compared in-service and pre-service teachers’ perceptions of parental involvement. The study involved 106 in-service teachers from 55 primary schools and 509 pre-service teachers from five teacher colleges. Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler’s model of parental involvement and its questionnaire was used to assess pre-service and in-service teacher’s general beliefs about parental involvement, the importance of specific parental involvement activities, teachers’ beliefs about parent’s efficacy for helping a child succeed in school, and teacher beliefs on the importance of parental involvement in promoting girls education. The parametric test (independent sample t-Test) indicated similarities and differences in pre-service and in-service teacher beliefs on parental involvement. Findings showed more significant means for pre-service teachers on general beliefs about parental involvement and teachers’ beliefs on parents’ efficacy in helping a child succeed in school. Results showed more significant means for in-service teachers’ beliefs on the importance of specific involvement practices and equal means for both pre and in-service teachers on teachers’ beliefs on the importance of parent involvement in promoting girls’ education. This study recommends including parental involvement in teacher education curriculum and ongoing professional development to in-service teachers to stimulate effective parents’ involvement in children’s education. Funding information:The authors received funding from the Flemish Interuniversity Council (VLIR-UOS) for a JOINT project “A capacity building teacher training to enhance parental involvement in primary education as a key factor in child literacy” (JOINTTZ2020JOI031A101).

Courses in teacher training programmes, especially science method courses, play a major role in the development of beliefs. Because children’s science learning starts in preschool years, it is critical to investigate early childhood teachers’ beliefs about scientists and science teaching. The purpose of this study was to describe, document, and then compare the pre-service and in-service early childhood teachers’ beliefs about scientists and science teaching. A causal-comparative design with unequal sample sizes was used. The independent variables were the type of service, pre-service or in-service. The dependent variable was the score obtained on the ‘Draw a Scientist Test’ and the ‘Draw a Science Teacher Test'. The sample consisted of 139 pre-service and in-service early childhood teachers. Pre-service teachers were studying in a teacher-training programme at a major research university and in-service teachers were working in public schools in the south part of Turkey. The results indicate that inservice teachers held more stereotypical images than pre-service teachers about scientists. In addition, pre-service teachers had positive belief of scientists while in the training programme, but in-service teachers lacked this positive belief. A key implication of the study is that more professional training for in-service teachers should be offered within professional development programmes.

This study aimed to determine the perceptions of pre-service biology teachers and in-service biology teachers on artificial intelligence in Biology learning. AI has recently become a new trend and has changed many aspects of life. Artificial intelligence allows machines to learn from experience, adapt to new inputs, and perform human-like tasks like ChatGPT, launched in Q4 of 2022. The survey method used in this study. We used a questionnaire from 42 respondents of in-service teachers and pre-service teachers, respectively. Selected teachers were senior high school biology teachers who have used the independent curriculum in their schools. This study showed that the pre-service biology teachers (69%) had higher perceptions than in-service biology teachers (40.5%). This result followed by AI usage; 28.6% of pre-service biology teachers and 7.1% of in-service biology teachers used AI daily. However, the pre-service and in-service biology teachers believed that AI could be implemented in the new curriculum to increase student achievement on biology subject. This study concluded that the perceptions of to use AI is still low. So, AI must be introduced to the pre-service and in-service biology teachers.

ABSTRACTThe aim of this study was to explore preschool teachers’ evaluation standards and searching strategies during their online searching process, focusing on the difference between pre-service and in-service teachers. A total of 408 pre-service and in-service preschool teachers in Taiwan participated in the survey research. The validity and reliability of the instruments were confirmed through factor analysis and Cronbach’s alpha. The results showed that the in-service teachers adopted Deep Strategiesand all four kinds of evaluation standards (Multiple, Authority, Content, and Technical) more often than the pre-service teachers did.The results also showed that Internet experience may affect both pre-service and in-service teachers’ use of searching strategies. The findings of this study suggest that more education on online searching strategies as well as evaluation standards should be provided for both in-service and pre-service teachers.

Owing to the anytime-anywhere-anyhow nature of mobile learning, together with the ubiquity of affordably priced mobile phones, learning has become a mobigital practice, as termed by Şad and Göktaş (2014). Consequently, language teaching/learning is gradually shifting from computer-assisted language learning to mobile-assisted language learning (MALL). In response, the current study examined the impact of MALL training on preservice and in-service EFL teachers’ perceptions and use of mobile technology (MT). For this purpose, two groups of preservice (N = 33) and in-service (N = 31) EFL teachers were randomly selected and exposed to MALL training. The pretest-posttest experimental mixed-methods design was used as a framework for collecting and analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data (using closed- and open-ended-question surveys). Quantitative results revealed that both preservice and in-service teachers had similar perceptions of MT before and after training. The only exception is that, after training, in-service teachers were more interested in MT than preservice teachers. However, both groups demonstrated an overall (and subfactor) improvement in their perceptions after MT training, except for their perceived ease of use. In-service teachers’ use also improved after training and, due to the yielded positive correlation, their perceptions were a significant predictor of use. Qualitative findings showed that in-service teachers used MT more in listening and speaking (for synchronous communication) than in reading and writing, selecting social media and translation apps as the least useful ones. Moreover, they regarded technical and digital literacy problems as the ones most challenging to the use of MT.