Abstract:

Motivation & Objective:
A variety of AI tools have become an integral part of our private and professional lives as AI assists, facilitates and accelerates work. Understandably, there is a great research interest in this regard (Witt 2020; Schleiss 2023), but have the findings already made their way into the practice of school education? According to selected studies, the answer is “no”: Numerous participants and entire educational areas are too often underrepresented in the research landscape (Schaumburg 2021; Mutizwa 2023). Therefore, the focus of this work lays the exploring and measuring teachers' attitudes towards the use of AI in vocational school education. As it plays a fundamental role in the development of action- and future-oriented competencies of employees (Vuorikari 2022; Perkas 2023).

Data collection & Sampling:
The targeted data are collected between Feb. 1 and Mar. 14, 2024 using a pre-registered (https://osf.io/4jhpr/) quantitative multi-device questionnaire, which is standardized and ordinal-scaled in order to measure the characteristics according to two categories: “general statements about the AI” and “individual statements about the AI”. Different elements such as the four-stage Likert scale , detailed written instructions or securing the questionnaire and the anonymized answers via OSF are used to comply with test objectivity, validity and reliability (Porst 2011). The survey is addressed to the population of teachers in vocational school education in the Free State of Saxony, Germany (G=6433) , which is represented by a random, representative cluster sample n=112>=G/(1+((G-1)*e^2)/(z^2*P*Q))>= 67) (with e=0,1; p=0,5; z=1,65). The data, used purely descriptively, gives the following characteristics: The sampling is 54.5% female, 45.5% male and 94% are fully trained teachers between the ages of 26 and 65 (ˉx=44.7).

Interim Conclusion:
Embedded in an action-based doctoral project, the evaluation of teachers' perspectives on the use and impact of AI plays a very important role to fulfil the overall objective and create a practical framework for action for all participants in the vocational school education. Already the excerpt from the analysed data allows to derive a basic tenor of the attitudes and experiences, such as that teachers are currently comparatively undecided whether the use of AI promotes (2.6) or hinders (2.4) the development of professional competencies, or whether AI can be successfully (2.5) integrated into action-oriented learning environments or not (2.3). However, the assessment of the possibilities for differentiation (2.8) and self-organized learning (2.7) through AI tools tends to be positive. Nevertheless, teaching with AI is associated with a considerable increase in work (2.9) and difficulty of assessing performance (3.1). The generally negative tone is supported by personal statements, as the majority of teachers does not use AI tools in lesson planning (57%) or in performance assessment (94%), although teachers tend to perceive AI as helpful in general (61%). Already these interim data imply numerous conclusions about current disadvantageous framework conditions and the potential for action. Therefore, if selected, the collected data will be processed and statistically evaluated for the virtual (oral) presentation of the results in the category Educational Trends and Experiences/ Emerging Technologies in Education.

Keywords:

Vocational Education, Artificial Intelligence, Digital Competencies, Technology, Use and Impact.