THE ROLE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)-ASSISTED QUESTION GENERATION ON PRESERVICE SCIENCE TEACHERS' 21ST-CENTURY TEACHING COMPETENCIES

The increasing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in education highlights the need to explore its impact on preservice science teachers' 21st-century teaching competencies. This study aimed to explore the role of AI-assisted question generation on preservice science teachers' 21st-century teaching competencies. Mixed-methods research design was utilized. This study was participated by 32 preservice science teachers. The “21st Century Skills Teaching Scale”, “Tromsø Social Intelligence Scale”, “Critical Thinking Disposition Scale”, structured interview, and an evaluation rubric were administered as data collection tools. The integration of the generation process of AI-assisted questions was completed in a period of 12 weeks. In findings, the AI-assisted question generation process contributed to the enhancement of preservice science teachers’ 21st century skills, social intelligence, and critical thinking disposition. The enhancement of 21st century skills, social intelligence, and critical thinking was concluded that the process of creating questions by utilizing the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence technology was thanks to interaction based on communication with artificial intelligence, cooperation established through group work, and access to up-to-date information through technology. In light of these findings, it could be stated that it will be beneficial to increase the integration of AI into teaching practices in science education. Keywords: 21st-century skills, artificial intelligence, critical thinking dispositions, social intelligence, preservice science teachers, science education