Are Turkish pre-service teachers worried about AI? A study on AI anxiety and digital literacy

Abstract The primary objective of this study is to determine whether the level of digital literacy among pre-service teachers reliably correlates with their anxiety levels concerning artificial intelligence. The study was conducted as a correlational study, with a sample size of 221 pre-service teachers. The study’s population comprised 3922 pre-service teachers enrolled at Turkish state and private universities. To collect study data, the researchers used the “Personal Information Form,” “Digital Literacy Scale,” and “Artificial Intelligence Anxiety Scale.” The data were analyzed using stepwise regression analysis and descriptive statistics. The study’s results indicated that pre-service teachers exhibited high levels of digital literacy and moderate degrees of anxiety regarding artificial intelligence. Regression analysis revealed that 10.3% of pre-service teachers’ anxiety concerning artificial intelligence could be predicted by the technical sub-dimension of digital literacy. Consequently, it was demonstrated that pre-service teachers’ apprehensions regarding artificial intelligence decreased as their perception of technical digital fluency increased. Other sub-dimensions of digital literacy were deemed insignificant in predicting the anxiety levels of pre-service teachers regarding artificial intelligence. Based on these findings, suggestions for future study directions were proposed.