Unveiling Barriers and Challenges of AI Technology Integration in Education: Assessing Teachers’ Perceptions, Readiness and Anticipated Resistance

This study seeks to fill a gap in the literature concerning the extrinsic barriers that affect the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, such as ChatGPT, within the educational sphere. While previous studies have predominantly focused on intrinsic factors like teachers’ attitudes and beliefs, as well as the general benefits and drawbacks of AI in education, there has been limited investigation into how external obstacles, such as large class sizes, insufficient resources, slow internet connections, and outdated technology, affect this integration. The importance of this study lies in its assessment of whether these extrinsic barriers contribute to teachers' resistance to embracing AI technology. This study employs a quantitative method to explore this issue, using a questionnaire administered to thirteen (n=13) EFL instructors from the Department of English at Ibn Khaldoun University of Tiaret, Algeria. The results derived from this study reveal that while participants recognised AI's potential to improve student learning and expressed confidence in its integration, they also identified extrinsic barriers such as technical complexity, inadequate training, limited resources, and large class sizes as critical factors contributing to their resistance to incorporating AI tools into their teaching practices. This research emphasises the necessity of addressing these external barriers to better align technological innovations with teachers' needs and readiness, thereby enhancing the effective integration of AI in education.