AI & Social Learning? An Examination of Preservice Teachers’ Perspectives

Aiming to inform the development of effective teacher preparation programs that harness artificial intelligence's (AI) power and ultimately contribute to the broader goal of equitable education, this study investigates preservice teachers’ experiences and perceptions related to AI focusing on social learning. Specifically, it examines preservice teachers’ familiarity with AI, their views on its potential to enhance social learning and their perspectives on designing AI-supported environments to foster social learning. The analyses of data collected from 197 preservice teachers show that about one-third of preservice teachers have no or limited familiarity with AI, and a majority of them expressed hesitations about using AI to foster social learning. Overall, they found AI to be more beneficial for designing virtual learning practices compared to its potential in supporting student social learning, among other findings.