Teachers' Perceptions about the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Teacher Teaching at the Middle School Level

Introduction: This research was conducted to examine the perception of the use of Artificial intelligence tools in teaching practice among teachers at secondary schools. According to the changing trends in the global education arena, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly expanding. Aims: This aims to enhance the processes of learning and teaching for greater effectiveness. The utilization of AI in education also creates opportunities to improve the quality of education, make learning more adaptive, and prepare the younger generation to face challenges in the future. In Malaysia, many teachers still face challenges in designing engaging learning experiences. In addition, ineffective teaching strategies that do not support differentiated learning methods contribute to an increased student learning rate. Objective: This study was conducted to examine perceptions of the benefits of use, usability, social influence, and readiness for AI acceptance at local school in Malaysia. Methodology: This study utilized a descriptive quantitative approach by collecting data through a survey via questionnaires. The questionnaires were distributed to 90 teachers at a local secondary school, with only 73 respondents selected as the sample for this study based on the Krejcie and Morgan Table. The data were then analysed in descriptive quantitative analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 15. Results: The study results showed that perceptions of the benefits of use, usability, social influence, and readiness for acceptance indicated a high level of agreement. The highest correlation strength was found between social influence and acceptance readiness with r=0.59, p<0.05, compared to usability with r=0.46, p<0.05, and perceived usefulness with r=0.53, p<0.05. Conclusion: However, overall, it indicates a moderate level of relationship. The coleration values showed that b (0.59) had the highest contribution to the level of AI acceptance readiness in teaching among teachers at school, which is social influence. Conclusion: Overall, the findings of this study suggest that encouragement from superiors and social influence are crucial to encouraging teachers to fully adopt the use of AI in their teaching.