Polish and Ukrainian Future and Early-Career Educators’ Perspectives on AI Competencies and Curriculum Priorities in Primary Computer Science Education

Artificial intelligence is becoming an important component of primary Computer Science education, creating new expectations for both pupil competencies and teacher preparation. This study examined how Polish and Ukrainian future and early-career educators perceive curriculum priorities, AI-related competencies for primary school pupils, professional-development needs, and directions for curriculum innovation in teacher education. A cross-sectional comparative mixed-methods design was applied to data from 64 respondents from Poland and Ukraine (32 per country). Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Mann–Whitney U tests, with Holm adjustment for multiple comparisons and rank-biserial correlations as effect-size measures, while open-ended responses were examined through qualitative thematic analysis. Across both national samples, critical evaluation of AI-generated content and understanding AI-related risks were among the highest-rated AI competencies, whereas prompt engineering and AI-project creation were comparatively less emphasised. Although Ukrainian respondents rated prompt development more highly than Polish respondents in the unadjusted analysis (U = 294.5, p = 0.007), this difference did not remain statistically significant after Holm adjustment (adjusted p = 0.056). Ukrainian respondents also tended to report stronger professional-development needs; after adjustment for multiple comparisons, statistically significant differences remained only for robotics and STEAM education. Overall, the findings indicate broadly similar descriptive priorities across the two samples rather than evidence of cross-national equivalence. The results support a human-centred, competency-based approach to teacher education integrating AI foundations, critical evaluation, ethical and responsible use, practical applications, and context-sensitive professional learning.