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Understanding K-12 Teachers’ Needs for AI Education: A Survey-Based Study
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Surveys 34 K-12 teachers on their AI knowledge, interests, and professional development (PD) preferences, and compares their self-identified needs with existing PD research.
Problem
K-12 teachers often lack AI literacy and their needs for AI education are rarely assessed directly; expert-driven professional development may not match what teachers actually need.
Approach
Directly surveys teachers about their self-identified AI education needs and compares these with the needs reported in existing research, framed through teacher agency theory, rather than relying on expert assumptions about PD.
Key results
- Teachers' AI interest differed significantly across grade levels (F(2, 97) = 7.40, p = 0.0024), while AI familiarity did not differ by grade level (Chi²(8) = 8.16, p = 0.4183).
- Workshops were the most preferred PD format (15 respondents), followed by peer collaboration (14), with online courses and self-paced modules at 11 each and webinars at 6.
- Teachers significantly preferred practical over theoretical PD (T(99) = 3.38, p = 0.0019); AI interest and confidence correlated strongly (r = 0.81), while familiarity and confidence correlated weakly (r = 0.22).
Measured effects reported in the paper
| What was changed | Where | Measured | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compare AI familiarity across grade levels | K-12 teachers · AI familiarity by grade level | Association (Chi-square test): Chi²(8) = 8.16, p = 0.4183 | No clear effect |
| Compare AI interest across grade levels | K-12 teachers · AI interest by grade level | Difference across groups (ANOVA): F(2, 97) = 7.40, p = 0.0024 | Mixed |
| Increase AI familiarity | K-12 teachers · AI interest | Correlation: r = 0.40 | Helped |
| Increase AI familiarity | K-12 teachers · AI confidence | Correlation: r = 0.22 | No clear effect |
| Increase AI interest | K-12 teachers · AI confidence | Correlation: r = 0.81 | Helped |
| Prefer practical, hands-on PD over theoretical PD | K-12 teachers · AI professional development | Preference (paired T-test): T(99) = 3.38, p = 0.0019 | Helped |
Surprising findings
- AI familiarity was only weakly correlated with confidence (r = 0.22), suggesting knowledge alone does not translate into confidence.
Limitations
- Small sample of 34 teachers recruited via convenience/social media without a specific sampling method.
- Data collection was ongoing at time of writing, so results are preliminary.
Experimental setup
Datasets: survey responses from 34 K-12 teachers
Metrics: descriptive frequencies and percentages chi-square test one-way ANOVA paired t-test Pearson correlation
Builds on: teacher agency theory
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