Statistical Research in Primary Education on Artificial Intelligence and Its Prospects in Education

The present statistical research aims to investigate the prospects of artificial intelligence in primary education. The expertise of primary school teachers in artificial intelligence technology is investigated. Additionally, the readiness of teachers to accept the new technology is detected. Educators express their concerns and expectations of the implementation and coexistence in the classroom with the applications of artificial intelligence. The assets and advantages of artificial intelligence are explored through the eyes of teachers. Finally, an attempt is made to predict the impact of artificial intelligence on the professional career of teachers. The data have been collected, through a questionnaire that has been sent electronically, to the emails of primary school teachers. The questionnaire was answered in October 2023. The teachers who answered it work in schools all over Greece, answered voluntarily.

Introduction

Artificial intelligence with its applications has begun to penetrate primary education [1].

Applications are used to support teachers in their work, such as creating lesson plans, presentations, animations and assistants in mathematics and foreign languages [2].

Teachers are starting to come into contact with artificial intelligence and possibly using it to make their work easier. The same is probably done by the students or by the management of the schools. The present research tries to reveal the degree of use of artificial intelligence by teachers of primary education [3].

The questions address the demographics of the teachers participating in the survey, the extent to which teachers are familiar with AI applications, their use of such applications, and their intentions for the future of AI in education.

Related Work

Due to the embryonic stage of the introduction of artificial intelligence in education, in October 2023, there was not much corresponding research at that time. Some of the questions were not found in other surveys but are present for the first time in the present survey. It is these questions that explore educators’ attitudes toward the future coexistence of educators and robotic teachers in the classroom. They were included in the research in order to investigate a possible, future possibility.

In Greece, similar research has been done as part of a diploma thesis in October 2022, on students aged K-12 [2], in a sample of 131 people. There is no similar research in Greece until October 2023.

Globally, until October 2023, there have been surveys that investigate, individually, only some of the questions of the present survey. In particular, research has been done in vocational schools in Germany for the use of artificial intelligence in vocational education [3]. Also, another survey in China examines the readiness of teachers for the introduction of artificial intelligence, and their concern and the ethical dimensions that this development will have [4]. In another research, a guide to larger research, the attitude of teachers regarding artificial intelligence and the digitization of education is examined, in a sample of 14 teachers, from the countries of Italy, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece. In Malaysia, research has been done on the use of artificial intelligence in a globalized classroom, which will have English as the language of instruction [5]. Also, in a research analysis of other researches, the advantages of using artificial intelligence in the design, evaluation, but also in the teaching process itself are examined [6].

The questions of the specific research summarize the questions of the previous researches but, in addition, examine the attitude of general primary education teachers, in the possibility of future human-teacher coexistence with a robotic teacher, in the classroom.

Methodology

The questionnaire method was chosen because of the ease and speed it offers in responses and the minimal effort required by the respondents [7].

The selection of research questions was made with the aim of covering the researched object, as comprehensively as possible. The questions were structured on a 5-point Likert scale. The specific scale widely used in the social sciences [8].

The questions are closed type, in order to be answered quickly and easily, not to tire the respondents, so that we have as many answers as possible and a representative sample. Also, with closed type questions, due to the structure of the questions, typing errors are avoided. Responses were mandatory to all questions and a partially answered questionnaire was not accepted.

The responses were collected electronically, through the google forms application, after emails sent to the schools and forwarded to the teachers. Teachers answered voluntarily and anonymously.

The application of the questionnaire was initially done, as a pilot, on seven people to identify any weaknesses and the functionality of the google forms application.

Results

The Survey Sample

In the survey participate 288 general teachers from various primary schools, in Greece. Of these, 217 are women and 71 are men. Of the 288, 59 are substitutes and the remaining 229 are permanent teachers. All participants in the research are general primary school teachers, who work in primary schools and specifically in elementary schools. Primary schools in Greece are attended by students from 6 to 12 years old.

Of the total number of teachers, 56 teachers work in schools in Thessaloniki, 49 in schools in Attica, 33 in schools in Heraklion, 30 in schools in Aitoloakarnania, 16 in schools in the prefecture of Larissa and the rest in schools in various prefectures of Greece.

The questionnaire was answered, electronically, via email, in October 2023 and the teachers’ participation in the survey was voluntary.

Information and Training of Teachers Regarding Artificial Intelligence

What do you Think is your Familiarity with Artificial Intelligence and its Application in the Educational Process of Primary Education?

Few teachers report familiarity with artificial intelligence. Specifically, 46.18% state that they have no familiarity, 26.04% state that they have minimal.

In contrast, only 2.78% say they are very familiar with artificial intelligence. Whereas, a percentage of 7.99% indicates great familiarity. Moderate familiarity is indicated by 17.01% of teachers (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1. The degree of familiarity of teachers with artificial intelligence (1 None, 2 Little, 3 Moderate, 4 Great, 5 Very great).

We conclude that the majority have little familiarity with artificial intelligence and also that there are very few who declare great familiarity.

Have you used ChatGPT?

A percentage of 26.61% of primary school teachers are not even aware of the app’s existence. Also, 19.68% have simply heard about this application from others. A rate of 6.77%, once or twice (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2. Teachers’ use of ChatGPT: a) I’ve never heard of it, b) I have heard from others, c) I tried it once, twice, d) I use it occasionally for some of my queries, e) I will use it immediately to facilitate my educational work.

On the other hand, 24.68% declare that they occasionally use the ChatGPT application and 22.26% think about using it directly for their work.

Rather, a mixed situation prevails, with two poles. On the one hand, a large percentage almost ignores the existence of ChatGPT and on the other hand, an almost corresponding percentage uses the application.

Have you Attended any Courses Related to Artificial Intelligence?

Primary school teachers have not attended any seminar related to artificial intelligence (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3. Attendance of seminars by the teachers.

According to the graph above, the majority of teachers have not been trained in the subject of artificial intelligence.

Specifically, 89.24% of teachers have not attended a seminar on artificial intelligence. On the contrary, only 10.76% declare that they have attended. Primary teachers’ intentions to use and use of artificial intelligence applications in education (Fig. 3).

Given the Right Training and Infrastructure, would you Modify the Way you Teach by Incorporating Artificial Intelligence to Some Extent as an Aid to your Teaching?

Primary school teachers are willing to use artificial intelligence in the educational process. Of course, with the appropriate training and infrastructure.

Specifically, 84.03% declare their willingness for such a thing and only 15.97% of teachers do not have a positive attitude (Fig. 4).

Fig. 4. Willingness to integrate artificial intelligence into the educational process.

Are Various Artificial Intelligence Applications Creating Exercises, Tests, Lesson Plans and Giving Ideas for a Lesson Presentation for Teachers? Do you use Something like this in your Teaching Preparation?

The largest percentage of primary school teachers do not use artificial intelligence applications in lesson preparation.

Specifically, 64.24% have not used artificial intelligence applications at all in the preparation of the course. A percentage of 18.40% has used little and moderate use states that 9.72% of the survey sample has done.

On the other hand, a very small percentage of 2.43% say they use artificial intelligence applications too much in lesson preparation and also 5.21% say they use artificial intelligence applications too much in lesson preparation (Fig. 5).

Fig. 5. Using artificial intelligence to prepare lessons by teachers (1 Not at all, 2 A little, 3 Moderate, 4 A lot, 5 Very much).

Will you be Using Artificial Intelligence Applications this year to Prepare your Teaching?

The teachers, in the largest percentage of the sample, leave open the possibility of using artificial intelligence applications in the preparation of their teaching, in the next school year (2023–2024).

Specifically, 51.39% answer that they might use artificial intelligence applications in the preparation of the course. Additionally, 7.64% of the sample confidently states that they will use artificial intelligence applications. On the contrary, 40.97% declare that they will not use such applications (Fig. 6).

Fig. 6. Teachers’ intention to use artificial intelligence applications in the 2023-24 school year.

Attitudes of Teachers Towards Students’ Use of Artificial Intelligence Applications

If Some Students Use Artificial Intelligence Applications for their Assignments (Translators, Question and Direct Answer Chatbots, Automatic Task Creation and Exercise Solving Machines, ChatGPT, etc.). Do you Think this will Help them in their Studies?

Primary school teachers tend to believe that artificial intelligence applications will help students moderately or not at all in learning their lessons.

In particular, 14.58% state that artificial intelligence applications will not help students at all in studying their courses, 31.25% state that they will help a little and 35.75% state that they could help to a moderate extent.

There are very few who believe that artificial intelligence applications will help very much in studying their courses, namely 2.78%. Also, few, 15.63%, say that AI applications will help a lot (Fig. 7).

Fig. 7. Artificial intelligence apps help students study, according to educators (1 Not at all, 2 A little, 3 Moderate, 4 A lot, 5 Very much).

Artificial Intelligence Offers, Through Digital Tutors, Personalized Learning and Problem-solving for Each Student, Individually. Could this Eliminate or reduce Tutoring and Private Lessons?

Teachers’ views on this question express a moderate view. That is, they believe that they will be of little or moderate help in avoiding private lessons or tutoring.

Specifically, 35.76% state that artificial intelligence applications will contribute to a moderate degree in this direction. Also, a similar percentage of 31.25% believe that apps will help a little.

On the other hand, a percentage of 14.58% is completely negative in such a perspective.

Only 2.78% believe that artificial intelligence will eliminate tutoring and private lessons, and 15.63% say that this will be achieved to a very large extent (Fig. 8).

Fig. 8. Tutoring and private lessons likely to decline from use of AI apps, according to teachers? (1 Not at all, 2 A little, 3 Moderate, 4 A lot, 5 Very much).

Would Students like Apps or Robots- Digital Teachers?

A moderate attitude is discernible, with a tendency towards the positive side. That is, teachers believe that students will, to some extent, like AI applications and robot teachers. There are also quite a few who believe that artificial intelligence applications and robot teachers will be very or very popular with students.

In particular, 38.19% of the teachers in the sample say they will like it moderately, 26.39% say they will like it a lot, and a percentage of 9.72% say they will like it very much.

In contrast, only 5.56% say students will not like AI apps and robot teachers at all, and 20.14% say they will like them a little (Fig. 9).

Fig. 9. How much students will like artificial intelligence apps and robot teachers, according to educators (1 Not at all, 2 A little, 3 Moderate, 4 A lot, 5 Very much).

Would the Students Prefer a Robot Teacher or the Teacher as we are Used To Today? What do you Think?

Teachers overwhelmingly say that students would prefer a human teacher to a robot teacher.

Specifically, 60.76% of the teachers in the sample believe in the traditional human teacher. A much smaller percentage leave opens the possibility of replacing the traditional teacher with a robot, at a rate of 35.76%. Only 3.47% are sure about replacing the human-teacher with a robot-teacher (Fig. 10).

Fig. 10. Would the students prefer a robot teacher or the teacher as we are used to today? What do you think?.

Would a Digital Teacher, with a Huge Database of Knowledge, Working alongside the Classroom, Lead you to Better Prepare for the Lesson and Update your Knowledge to Maintain your Educational Authority in the Eyes of your Students?

Primary school teachers give a balanced answer to this question, with a slight tendency towards the negative side.

More in detail, the largest percentage, 34.03%, states that the presence of artificial intelligence in the classroom would push them to a certain extent, to better prepare and be informed about the lesson. Additionally, 23.96% say they would prepare slightly better, while 11.81% believe they would not prepare better (Fig. 11).

Fig. 11. Coexistence of digital teacher and human teacher - would lead to better human teacher preparation? (1 Not at all, 2 A little, 3 Moderate, 4 A lot, 5 Very much).

Only 6.60% say they would be much better prepared and 23.61% say they would be better prepared and informed.

Artificial Intelligence Applications–Digital Teachers, Collect Personal Data of the Student (Manner, Pace of Learning, Learning Gaps, Names). Are you Concerned about the Use of this Data for Other Purposes?

From the observation of the graph, it is evident the anxiety of the teachers about the collection and the purposes of the use, of the personal data, of the students.

Teachers at a rate of 37.15% and at a rate of 32.99% are very much and very oppositely concerned about the collection and use of students’ personal data by artificial intelligence applications.

On the other hand, there are very few who are not worried. In particular, a rate of 5.21%, slightly worries 9.03% of the teachers in the sample, and moderate concern is expressed by a rate of 15.63% (Fig. 12).

Fig. 12. Personal student data from AI applications and teacher posts (1 Not at all, 2 A little, 3 Moderate, 4 A lot, 5 Very much).

Are there Concerns about Replacing or Reducing the Need for Human Teachers? Do you Think Something like this will Happen in the Next 20 Years in Greece?

Elementary school teachers tend to express no to moderate concern about being replaced in the next 20 years by a robot teacher. Since the research has been conducted in the Greek territory, the further interpretation of the specific result should take into account the data of the specific country, such as the permanence of civil servants.

More specifically, 29.17% declare moderate concern, 21.18% declare little concern and 22.57% are not concerned at all.

Only 10.76% of teachers in the sample are very much worried about being replaced by a robot teacher in the next 20 years and 16.32% say they are very worried (Fig. 13).

Fig. 13. Teachers worry about being replaced by robots (1 Not at all, 2 A little, 3 Moderate, 4 A lot, 5 Very much).

With the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, Education is Becoming Digital (via Computers). How Ready are Teachers, Today, to Embrace Something like this?

In an overwhelming percentage of Greek teachers, in October 2023, they declare that they are ready to integrate artificial intelligence and education that is converted into a digital format.

Specifically, 31.60% of teachers declare that they are completely unprepared for the digital transition that artificial intelligence requires. 38.54% feel at least ready and 24.31% say they are moderately ready.

Only 0.35% declare full readiness for the digital transition and 5.21% of the teachers in the sample declare great readiness (Fig. 14).

Fig. 14. Teacher Readiness to Embrace the Digitization of Education Demanded by Artificial Intelligence (1 Not at all, 2 A little, 3 Moderate, 4 A lot, 5 Very much).

Discusion

General education teachers in Greece, in October 2023, state that they are not familiar with artificial intelligence and its applications, in the vast majority. Cumulatively, the percentage of teachers who have no or minimal familiarity with artificial intelligence amounts to 72.22%. A similar percentage, roughly 82.5%, is presented in a 2022 survey of Greek primary and secondary education teachers [2]. As well as in a large percentage they have not used the ChatGPT application.

They have not been trained in artificial intelligence, at a rate of 89.24%. In a corresponding survey, 84.7% of teachers would like to be trained in this technology [2].

While they do not use artificial intelligence applications in the preparation of lessons, in a very large percentage. A percentage of 64.24% states that they have never used an artificial intelligence application in the preparation of the course, a percentage that is almost entirely in agreement with a previous survey, where the corresponding percentage was 63.4% [2].

They say they are willing, with the right infrastructure and the right training, to include artificial intelligence in the educational process, at a rate of 84.03%.

They are slightly pessimistic about the elimination of tutoring and private lessons due to the use of artificial intelligence applications. A percentage of 45.83% believe that the contribution of artificial intelligence applications in limiting tutoring and private lessons will be non-existent or minimal, while 35.76% believe that it would help to a moderate extent. There is no similar question in other surveys.

They have same perception regarding the degree of help that artificial intelligence applications will offer to students, in the study of their courses. A percentage of 45.81% believe that artificial intelligence applications will help students little or not at all in studying the lessons. While 35.76% believe they will help to a moderate extent.

Opinions are divided on whether students will like robot teachers and whether they will be better prepared for class due to the presence of AI applications in the classroom.

On the other hand, a large percentage believe that students would not prefer a robot teacher over a human teacher. A very large percentage, 60.76%, of general education teachers state that students will not prefer the robot teacher. In research, in vocational education, in Germany, educators prefer a blended learning model that combines distance learning, artificial intelligence and traditional teaching [3]. It is a view that comes from teachers who work at a different level but approaches our research question.

They are very concerned about the collection and use of students’ personal data by artificial intelligence applications that will be used in the educational process. Cumulatively, 70.14% of teachers are very, very concerned about the collection of students’ personal data by artificial intelligence applications. In other countries, the importance of the ethical and social implications of the use of artificial intelligence is taught as a separate chapter of the courses [9].

Instead, they aren’t too worried about being replaced by a robot teacher in the next 20 years. Cumulatively, 43.85% have little or no concern about being replaced by a robotic teacher in the next 20 years. A percentage of 29.17% expresses moderate concern. Here we must point out that Greek teachers are permanent civil servants, to a large extent, and therefore cannot lose this status.

Finally, they do not feel ready for the transition to digital education that the introduction of artificial intelligence into the educational process requires. Teachers, at a rate of 67.14%, state that they are little or not at all ready for the digital transition, while a percentage of 24.31% state that they are moderately prepared for such a thing. German teachers believe that in order to make such a transition, teachers need to be properly prepared first and connect this transition with knowledge they already possess [10].

It should be noted that the survey data was collected, nationwide, in October 2023, from general teachers working in primary education.

Conclusions

In the present research we found that general teachers working in primary education in Greece are not informed and trained in artificial intelligence. They also do not feel ready for the digital transition that artificial intelligence requires.

They are willing to integrate artificial intelligence into the educational process if the right training and conditions exist. They are also not very optimistic about how much artificial intelligence will help them and their students.

Although they do not rule out the fact that robot teachers will like their students, they believe that students will prefer the traditional teacher. They are not worried about being replaced by robots but they are worried about the collection of personal data by artificial intelligence applications.

In conclusion, we can summarize that proper training and preparation of teachers is needed for the age of artificial intelligence. The ethical dimensions of such a transition should also be taken into account, mainly in the matter of personal data.