Unpacking Chinese In-Service Teachers' Concerns about Integrating Artificial Intelligence into Teaching from the Perspective of a Concerns-Based Adoption Model

Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a tool to support teaching promotes technological innovation in education and is becoming the focus of China's new round of K-12 education reform. Based on the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM), this study investigated Chinese in-service teachers' concerns about integrating AI into teaching and how demographic variables (i.e., gender, school levels, and the highest degree) affected their concerns. A questionnaire modified from the Stages of Concerns (SoC) was used to collect the data. Altogether, 216 in-service teachers from 16 cities in Shandong, China, participated in this study by filling out the online questionnaire. The results showed that (1) the revised seven-stage SoC model concerning AI showed satisfactory reliability and validity; (2) Chinese in-service teachers demonstrated their concerns about integrating AI into teaching primarily at the Informational, Personal, Consequence, and Collaboration stages; and (3) the highest degree significantly influenced teachers' concerns. Teachers with a master's degree and a bachelor's degree could better focus on the Informational, Management, and Consequence stages. Implications for professional development in integrating AI into teaching were discussed.