Awareness and Acceptance of Artificial Intelligence among English Pre-Service Teachers in a State Tertiary School

Artificial Intelligence is transforming education, and English pre-service teachers play a significant part. Few studies have examined their views on AI, emphasizing the need to understand its effects on student performance. This study examined English PSTs' AI awareness and acceptability at Sultan Kudarat State University. This study examined their viewpoints to understand what drove AI tool adoption in English language teaching. The findings were intended to guide curriculum development, teacher training, and instructional methods, assuring AI's responsible and ethical use in education. Employing a descriptive-correlational approach, the study involved total enumeration sampling of English pre-service teachers. It utilized statistical measures such as mean, standard deviation, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient to interpret the data effectively. Findings revealed that English PSTs were "Very Familiar" with AI-powered learning platforms, indicating high knowledge or experience. Moreover, English PSTs showed a positive attitude towards the benefits of AI, particularly in addressing diverse learning needs and enhancing student engagement. It reported generally favorable perceptions of the ease of use of AI tools and found that English PSTs had a high level of agreement regarding their intentions to use AI in the classroom. However, they remained neutral in using AI to craft learning activities and assessments, lesson plans, and checking attendance and grading. Hence, there was a significant relationship between AI awareness and acceptance, with a moderate positive correlation, indicating that as English PSTs become more aware of AI's capabilities and applications, their acceptance and intention to use AI in their teaching practices increase. Based on the results, a program can be designed to enhance English PSTs' understanding and application of AI in education, including workshops and training sessions focusing on the practical use of AI tools, strategies for integrating AI into lesson plans, and addressing ethical considerations. These findings may help educational institutions better integrate AI, preparing future instructors to use technology to its maximum. Educational institutions can improve teacher and student learning by applying the proposed measures to create a supportive environment that promotes ethical AI use.