Exploring Teachers’ Attitudes Toward the Integration of Artificial Intelligence in Classroom Teaching: Perceived Opportunities and Challenges at Secondary Level

Abstract

This quantitative study investigates secondary school teachers' attitudes toward incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into the classroom, with a focus on perceived opportunities and challenges. A structured questionnaire was distributed to a stratified random sample of 280 teachers from both urban and rural high schools. The data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Regarding AI's potential to enhance professional support and instruction, the results revealed a moderate degree of agreement. However, teachers also mentioned a number of significant challenges, primarily related to ethical-pedagogical issues and technical challenges. There were gender differences, with female teachers perceiving more opportunities and challenges, even though overall attitudes toward AI integration did not differ significantly by gender. However, perceptions were significantly influenced by location; compared to their rural counterparts, urban teachers reported more positive attitudes and fewer challenges. The findings emphasize the necessity of professional development, infrastructure development, and localized AI integration strategies, particularly in rural areas, to bridge the accessibility gaps in secondary education AI adoption.