This study examined AI anxiety among pre-service and in-service teachers, focusing on gender and Internet reliability. Quantitative analyses revealed significant but nuanced differences across AI anxiety dimensions: Learning, Job Replacement, Sociotechnical Blindness, and AI Configuration. While pre-service teachers showed comparable anxiety levels across genders, in-service female teachers reported higher anxiety, particularly regarding job displacement. Internet reliability also influenced anxiety, with lower-income teachers and those with unreliable access exhibiting greater overall anxiety. These findings highlight the complex interplay of demographic and technological factors affecting educators’ confidence and psychological readiness for AI integration, underscoring the need for equity-driven interventions, including AI literacy curricula, gender- and experience-sensitive professional development, and improved infrastructure to ensure inclusive access and psychological safety.
Balasa et al. (Thu,) studied this question.