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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Educ.
Sec. Digital Learning Innovations
Volume 9 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2024.1501819
This article is part of the Research Topic Harnessing Generative AI for Inclusive Education: Opportunities and Challenges View all articles

Artificial intelligence (AI) for higher education: benefits and challenges for pre-service teachers

Provisionally accepted
Daiga Kalniņa Daiga Kalniņa *Dita Nīmante Dita Nīmante Sanita Baranova Sanita Baranova
  • University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The study investigates the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education (HE) and its impact on pre-service teachers at the University of Latvia (UL) by exploring pre-service teachers' perceptions of the benefits and challenges of AI in both their academic learning and their future professional roles as educators, particularly regarding the promotion of inclusive education.Methods: Data was collected via an online survey of 240 pre-service teachers across various disciplines at the UL. The survey included demographic details, AI usage patterns, and perceived benefits and challenges. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Kruskal-Wallis H tests, Spearman's correlation, and thematic analysis.Results: Less than half of the participants used AI in their studies, with many expressing ambivalence or opposition toward AI. Benefits included language assistance and accessibility to global knowledge, while challenges involved reduced critical thinking and concerns over plagiarism. Despite recognizing AI's potential to promote inclusivity, most pre-service teachers have not applied it in practice. No significant differences in AI perceptions were found based on age, gender, or study level.The findings highlight a low adoption rate of AI among pre-service teachers and a gap between theoretical recognition of AI's potential and its practical application, particularly for inclusion. The study emphasizes the need for HE institutions to enhance AI literacy and readiness among future teachers.AI is underutilized by pre-service teachers in both HE learning and teaching environments, which has implications for teacher preparation programs that better integrate AI literacy and inclusive practices.

    Keywords: artificial intelligence (AI)1, higher education (HE)2, pre-service teachers3, inclusion4, diversity 5

    Received: 25 Sep 2024; Accepted: 05 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Kalniņa, Nīmante and Baranova. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Daiga Kalniņa, University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.