PRE-SERVICE PRESCHOOL AND PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS’ ATTITUDES ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: READINESS TO USE AND POTENTIAL CHALLENGES

The use of AI in the training of pre-service preschool and primary school teachers is a significant, but not sufficiently researched, issue. Although the application of AI in education is widely studied, specific studies related to preschool and primary education teacher preparation are rarer. The cognitive, emotional, and motor abilities of children up to 10-12 years require a special approach, so the integration of AI must be careful and methodologically sound. The research aimed to analyse the readiness of pre-service preschool and primary school teachers to use artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in the educational process and to name the challenges they see. The research is based on qualitative methodology, and the nature of the research is informative-descriptive; interpretive/quantitative content analysis is applied. The data was collected in spring 2024 from 112 university students, using open-ended questions. The analysis revealed that 57.7 % of respondents feel insufficiently prepared to use AI, mainly due to lack of knowledge, practical skills, and technological mistrust. A third of the respondents show motivation to improve in this area, although real experience with AI is often limited to superficial use. In addition, a critical or cautious attitude toward AI emerged, regarding the concerns about the reliability, ethical implications, and the quality of learning. Challenges include educational (decreasing creativity and motivation), social and ethical (lack of communication, addiction), informational (inaccuracy, plagiarism), and technological aspects. Research results show the need to integrate the systematic development of AI competences into educational field studies, to strengthen the ethical and critical approach, and to create practical support measures to achieve a responsible and purposeful AI integration into both the study process and education in general. Keywords: artificial intelligence (AI), informative-descriptive study, pre-service preschool teachers, pre-service primary school teachers, qualitative research