Mindset matters: Fostering teachers’ responsible AI use through professional development

Abstract Generative AI holds transformative potential for education but also introduces ethical and pedagogical complexities, thereby necessitating comprehensive teacher preparation. To investigate whether mindset-oriented professional development (PD), beyond tool-focused training alone, enhances teachers’ responsible AI use, we conducted a mixed-method study comparing two PD approaches with 57 preservice teachers. Participants were randomly assigned to either a tools-only training group or a combined tools-and-mindset training group, including modules on AI ethics, human-centered education, and pedagogical reflection. Results revealed that both groups experienced decreased AI anxiety; yet only the tools-only group reported statistically significant gains in self-efficacy across multiple AI competence domains. Conversely, the mindset group exhibited a targeted increase in human-centered AI competence, reflecting deeper ethical awareness and critical reflection. Qualitative analysis confirmed that mindset-trained teachers articulated more subtle concerns about AI’s risks and pedagogical implications, adopting a more cautious stance and expressing a desire for further ethics-focused training. This study provides empirical evidence that embedding mindset components into AI-focused PD fosters essential reflective capacities and ethical judgment. Effective teacher PD should thus integrate technical proficiency with ethics, human-centered design, and critical pedagogy, cultivating educators capable of responsibly integrating AI in classrooms.