Artificial Intelligence and Secondary School Teachers

This paper aims to investigate the attitude and opinions of secondary school teachers regarding artificial intelligence. In particular, it investigates the degree of knowledge and training of the teachers themselves in artificial intelligence. It also records teachers' use of artificial intelligence applications in education. It explores their intentions and fears about artificial intelligence and its degree of introduction into education. In addition, the benefits that educators believe artificial intelligence will provide and the advantages of a traditional teacher over a robot teacher are explored. The data of the article has been obtained through statistical research. Specifically, through a questionnaire completed electronically by teachers, who work in secondary schools, in Greece, in October 2023.

Introduction

Artificial intelligence has begun to be used in education in various forms. On the one hand as an auxiliary tool for the preparation of the educational work of secondary school teachers and as a supervisory means for teaching lessons. On the other hand, various artificial intelligence applications work as aids in the study and tasks, which the students have to carry out. In addition, it can be used as a teacher and student management tool [1].

Secondary education teachers have been involved, or will be directly involved, with the use and implications of the use of artificial intelligence in education due to the rapid developments in technology. Thus, there was a need to investigate the attitudes and opinions of teachers themselves regarding artificial intelligence in education [2].

The present research was carried out in October 2023, nationwide, through an electronic questionnaire sent to teachers by e-mail. 620 secondary school teachers who work in schools in various prefectures of Greece responded to the survey voluntarily.

The questionnaire is divided into 5 sections. The first section refers to the demographics of the survey. The second section explores secondary school teachers’ knowledge and contact with artificial intelligence. The third one detects teachers’ intentions to use artificial intelligence. The fourth section concerns the attitude of teachers in relation to the use of artificial intelligence by students. The fifth section studies the relationship between the traditional teacher and the future robot teacher and the management of a school using artificial intelligence applications.

Artificial intelligence has begun to permeate daily life in a variety of forms and applications, as well as being used and impacting education and teachers. Some examples include translation systems, search engines, chatbots, navigation programs, and specialized web applications that provide learning in a variety of fields [1].

Related Work

Artificial intelligence, although as a science, has been around since 1956 [3], in education it started to emerge from around 2018 [4]. For this reason, until October 2023, when this survey was conducted, there are not many similar surveys.

In Greece, a similar survey has been conducted, in October 2022, on a sample of 131 Primary and Secondary education teachers, who worked in schools in Greece [5].

At the global level, there are research regarding intentional intelligence in education, which individually examine some of the questions of the present research. Specifically, in vocational schools in Germany, research has been done on the learning model that teachers and students want to be used and the degree of involvement of artificial intelligence [6]. Another study investigates whether a lesson on the social implications and ethical issues arising from the introduction of artificial intelligence in education should be included in the teaching [7]. Primary school teachers’ readiness to introduce artificial intelligence into teaching is examined in research conducted in China [8]. The way of introduction to education, in order to make a smooth transition to the new reality, is examined by another research, which has been done on German teachers. These teachers used artificial intelligence technologies during distance learning, which took place during the COVID-19 pandemic [9].

In the present research, questions have been added that examine the attitude of teachers, in relation to their coexistence in the educational process, with robot teachers or with artificial intelligence applications used as teachers. Such an eventuality is considered very likely, with the rapidity with which artificial intelligence is evolving [10]. Similar questions do not exist in other surveys.

Methodology

In this research, the questionnaire was used as a research tool. It offers convenience and speed in responses and can be easily distributed to a large number of people. The 5-point Likert scale, which is suitable for social science research, was used [11].

The questionnaire was designed in the google forms application and answered electronically. Sent to the emails of Secondary Schools, Greece, and forwarded from there to teachers. The teachers’ participation was voluntary and anonymous.

Closed-ended questions were chosen to avoid typing errors. Partially answered questionnaires were not accepted.

The survey was conducted in October 2023.

Results

Survey Demographics

Of the 620 teachers who participated in the survey, 429 are women and 191 are men. Of the total number of teachers, 488 are permanent, while from the rest 130 are substitutes and 2 part-time.

They are of various specialties. Specifically, 142 are philologists, 92 computer science teachers, 70 mathematicians, 46 physicists, 38 English teachers, 23 theologians, 20 biologists, 19 physical education teachers, 13 German language teachers, 12 French language teachers, 12 home economics teachers, 11 chemistry teachers, 8 music teachers. The remaining 114 are teachers of various other specialties.

The sample concerns almost all prefectures of Greece. There are 106 teachers from Athens, 83 from the prefecture of Thessaloniki, 56 from the Dodecanese, 49 from Heraklion, 44 from Achaia, 33 from eastern Attica, 32 from Larissa, 30 from Evros, 17 from Kilkis, 16 from the Cyclades, 15 from Fthiotida and 13 from Imathia. The rest of the teachers work in the other prefectures of Greece, in secondary schools.

In terms of age, 15 teachers of those who answered the questionnaire, are from 22–30 years old, 96 belong to the age group of 31–40 years, 222 belong to the age group of 41–50 years, 247 to the age group of 51–60 years and 40 teachers are over 60 years old.

Contact and Knowledge of Secondary School Teachers Regarding Artificial Intelligence

What Do You Think is Your Familiarity With Artificial Intelligence and Its Application in the Educational Process of Secondary Education?

From what we observe in the graph, 38.23% of secondary education teachers have no familiarity with artificial intelligence. 21.13% have little familiarity. On the other hand, only 5% declare that they are very familiar and 14.19% declare that they are familiar. Moderate familiarity states that it has 21.45%.

So, as can be seen in Fig. 1, most teachers have moderate or less familiarity with artificial intelligence.

Fig. 1. How familiar are you with artificial intelligence? (1 None, 2 Little, 3 Moderate, 4 Great, 5 Very great).

Have You Used ChatGPT?

ChatGPT, is a general-purpose app, perhaps the most popular of the AI apps.

A percentage of 26.61% do not know the existence of ChatGPT, while 19.68% of secondary school teachers have not used it themselves but have heard about it from others.

On the other hand, 22.26% state that they use it occasionally and 24.68% of teachers have used it once or twice.

Also, a percentage of 6.77%, declares that they will use it directly in education.

If we add up the percentages of those who are unaware of the existence of ChatGPT, those who have heard about it from others, and those who have used it once or twice, the percentage comes to 68.55%. That is, 68.55% of the sample, secondary school teachers, have at most only done a simple test of ChatGPT (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2. Have you used 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.

Have You Attended Any Courses Related to Artificial Intelligence?

A percentage of 85.97%, who work in secondary education in Greece, have not attended a seminar related to artificial intelligence, until October 2023. On the other hand, only 14.03% state that they have attended some seminar (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3. Have you attended a seminar related to Artificial Intelligence?

The percentages are overwhelming. Secondary teachers not trained in AI until October 2023.

Secondary Teachers’ Intentions to Use and Use of Artificial Intelligence Applications in Education

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?

A percentage of the order of 83.39% of the teachers in the sample, declares that they are willing to make the changes required, in order to include intentional intelligence in the teaching (Fig. 4).

Fig. 4. 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?

That is, there is a strongly positive attitude towards new developments and artificial intelligence, without denying or clinging to established teaching practices.

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?

A percentage of 67.26% of the teachers in the work sample has not used artificial intelligence in any form and at any stage of the educational process. On the other hand, only 2.74% of teachers state that they use artificial intelligence too much in the educational process (Fig. 5).

Fig. 5. 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? (1 Not at all, 2 A little, 3 Moderate, 4 A lot, 5 Very much).

So, the introduction of artificial intelligence in the educational process is at a very early and initial stage.

Will You Be Using Artificial Intelligence Applications This Year to Prepare Your Teaching?

Teachers who confidently state that this school year 2023–2024 will use artificial intelligence applications to prepare their teaching represent only 11.29%. A large percentage, 43.39%, confidently state that they will not use artificial intelligence applications. 45.32% leave such a possibility open (Fig. 6).

Fig. 6. Will you be using artificial intelligence applications this year to prepare your teaching?

On the one hand, as we found in a previous question, teachers are willing to use artificial intelligence applications. On the other hand, their own ignorance and lack of education, in the specific subject, probably leads them to a negative answer or to answer “MAYBE”, leaving the implication open, depending on the data that will emerge.

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?

Looking at the graph above, teachers seem hesitant as to whether the use of artificial intelligence applications will help students in their work and study. Of course, the largest percentage of the 5 categories, 37.74%, shows a moderate attitude. Perhaps it can be justified, by the lack of training and information about artificial intelligence (Fig. 7).

Fig. 7. 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? (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?

A very large percentage of educators believe that artificial intelligence cannot eliminate tutoring and private lessons.

In particular, 22.26% believe artificial intelligence does not offer anything in eliminating tutoring and private lessons. An additional 31.13% believe that artificial intelligence will contribute little in this area. A moderate attitude is held by 31.77% of teachers.

On the other hand, 11.29% of teachers believe that artificial intelligence will contribute a lot to the elimination of private lessons and tutoring, and only 3.55%, believe that artificial intelligence will contribute very much to this subject (Fig. 8).

Fig. 8. Artificial intelligence offers, through digital tutors, personalized learning and problem-solving for each student, individually. Could this eliminate or reduce tutoring and private lessons? (1 Not at all, 2 A little, 3 Moderate, 4 A lot, 5 Very much).

Would Students Like Apps or Robots-Digital Teachers?

Responses are evenly distributed. Educators on the one hand believe that students will like the applications or robot-teachers and approximately the same percentage believe that they will not like them (Fig. 9).

Fig. 9. Would students like apps or robots- digital teachers? (1 Not at all, 2 A little, 3 Moderate, 4 A lot, 5 Very much).

The largest percentage of responses, 41.13% is in the middle column, that is, they will like it to a point. Perhaps this could be attributed to the lack of information and education, to the fear of the unknown, but also to the habit of being taught by a human-teacher.

Traditional Teacher, Robot Teacher, Management and Artificial Intelligence

Would the Students Prefer a Robot Teacher or the Teacher As We Are Used to Today? What Do You Think?

A percentage of 58.87% of teachers believe that students prefer the human-teacher, as they have been used to until now. Perhaps students would prefer a robot teacher, answered 38.23% of secondary school teachers. While only 2.90% of teachers believe that students would prefer a robot teacher over a human 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?

If we combine the results of this question with the previous one, we notice that secondary school teachers have a moderate attitude towards apps or even robot teachers that coexist with traditional teachers in the classroom. However, they are negative or very wary of the autonomous presence of a robot teacher in a classroom. They state that students would not prefer it.

In a Digital Classroom, Artificial Intelligence Applications Know Student Performance and Can At Any Time Send a Descriptive Assessment of the Student to Parents. Do You Think This Would Help You in Your Project?

The responses are evenly distributed. 12.74% of teachers believe that AI applications have nothing to offer by sending descriptive assessment at any time to parents. 23.39% believe they will offer little. On the other hand, 8.87% believe that they will offer too much and 24.19%, believe that they will offer a lot.

The largest percentage of teachers, 30.81%, have a moderate attitude, believing that this will provide mediocre education (Fig. 11).

Fig. 11. In a digital classroom, artificial intelligence applications know student performance and can at any time send a descriptive assessment of the student to parents. Do you think this would help you in your project? (1 Not at all, 2 A little, 3 Moderate, 4 A lot, 5 Very much).

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?

The answers to this question are evenly distributed. The largest percentage, 32.26%, states that the presence of a digital teacher in the classroom would lead, to a moderate degree, to better preparation of teachers (Fig. 12).

Fig. 12. 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? (1 Not at all, 2 A little, 3 Moderate, 4 A lot, 5 Very much).

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?

Looking at the graph above, we find that educators are particularly concerned about the collection and management of students’ personal data by artificial intelligence applications.

A percentage of 37.58% worry too much while 27.26% worry a lot. That is, adding the two percentages, we conclude that 64.84% of secondary school teachers are very or extremely concerned about the use of students’ personal data by artificial intelligence applications.

A percentage of 5.48% are not worried at all, and 10.81% say they are a little worried. While 18.87% of the teachers who responded to the questionnaire seem to have a moderate attitude (Fig. 13).

Fig. 13. 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? (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?

It seems that teachers are not particularly worried about being replaced by a robot teacher within the next 20 years in Greece.

Specifically, 21.13% are not worried at all, 24.52% state that they are a little worried. 29.19% declare a moderate concern.

On the other hand, 17.10% are quite worried and only 8.06% are very worried about being replaced by a robot teacher (Fig. 14).

Fig. 14. 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? (1 Not at all, 2 A little, 3 Moderate, 4 A lot, 5 Very much).

They express a cautious attitude, as to whether the applications of artificial intelligence would help the students in studying the lessons and in their assignments.

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

It is clear that in October 2023, in Greece and in the field of secondary education, teachers declare that they are not at all or only slightly ready to integrate artificial intelligence into the educational process.

Specifically, 30% declare completely unprepared, 43.71% declare slightly ready and 21.29% declare moderate readiness to integrate artificial intelligence into the educational process.

On the contrary, only 0.48% declare that they are completely ready for such a development and 4.52% declare that they are very ready for such a thing (Fig. 15).

Fig. 15. With the advancement of artificial intelligence, education is becoming digital (via computers). How ready are teachers, today, to embrace something like this? (1 Not at all, 2 A little, 3 Moderate, 4 A lot, 5 Very much).

Discussion

Teachers, working in secondary education in Greece, in October 2023, state at a percentage of 59.36% that they have no familiarity or have minimal familiarity with artificial intelligence. A percentage of 21.45% declares that they have a moderate familiarity. Also, a percentage of 46.29% states that they have not heard of or used ChatGPT. In a corresponding survey, conducted in Greece, in October 2023, 84.7% said they would like to know what kind of technology artificial intelligence is [5], according to the survey question. So, it seems from the percentages, maybe some progress has been made in this area.

On the other hand, 85.97% of teachers have not attended any seminar related to artificial intelligence. That is, it has not been trained in any systematic way. But, an overwhelming percentage of 83.39% declares that they are willing to use artificial intelligence in the educational process, if there is training and logistical infrastructure. The percentage is almost identical to that of a previous survey, where 84.7% declared a corresponding intention [5].

Greek teachers, at a rate of 80.81%, state that they have not used or have used minimally artificial intelligence applications in their teaching preparation. On the contrary, in another survey, carried out a year ago, 36.6% stated that they had used artificial intelligence applications in education, while exactly the same percentage of teachers answered negatively [5].

They also have a moderate attitude about how much AI applications would help students in their coursework. A percentage of 46.94% say it would help a little or not at all. Moderate help, states that artificial intelligence would offer in lesson preparation, 37.74%.

Also, how pessimistic they are about the possibility that private lessons and tutoring will decrease due to the use of artificial intelligence applications. At a percentage of 53.39, they believe that they will not decrease or will decrease slightly, and 37.17%, declare that they will decrease to a moderate extent.

Secondary education teachers in Greece show a balanced range of opinions on whether students will like the robot teacher. To a moderate degree 41.13% say they will like it, while 30.65% say they will like it a little or not at all and 28.23% say they will like it very much. On the contrary, when the question arises whether students would prefer a robot teacher over a traditional teacher, 58.87% are negative, while 38.23% leave open the possibility of such a thing. Only 2.90% of teachers are absolutely positive on this question.

On the negative side is the attitude of teachers regarding the descriptive assessment that will be offered in real time by artificial intelligence applications. A little or not at all says it would help 46.94%, while a percentage of 37.74% says it would help moderately.

They express great concern about the collection of students’ personal data by artificial intelligence applications. In a percentage of the order of 64.84% they worry a lot or very much. Educators from other countries express similar concerns and for this reason propose the teaching of ethics and legal courses on artificial intelligence [7].

On the contrary, they are not particularly worried about being replaced by a robot teacher in the next 20 years. A percentage of 45.65% are not very worried or not worried at all, while 29.19% are moderately worried. These percentages can be justified by the fact that 488 of the 620 teachers are permanent civil servants, approximately 78.7% of the sample. In contrast, a survey conducted in China showed that teachers worry less about their professional future the more it is prepared for artificial intelligence [8].

Finally, Greek teachers, in October 2023, are not ready for the digital transition that artificial intelligence requires. 73.71% of teachers state that they have little or no readiness for such a thing. Research in Germany has shown that teachers believe that such a transition requires first teacher training and connecting with knowledge and techniques they already know [9].

It should be mentioned, that due to the initial stage in which the introduction of artificial intelligence is in many countries [1] there were not, until October 2023, many similar investigations. Questions have been included, which are not found in another research. However, the purpose of the present research was to cover as many aspects of the subject as possible, with original research questions.

Conclusions

In conclusion, we would like to observe that secondary education teachers’ familiarity with artificial intelligence is very little. The same is true with the ChatGPT app. The vast majority of them have not attended any relevant seminar.

On the other hand, teachers say they are willing to integrate artificial intelligence into the educational process, if there are suitable conditions. However, the great majority of teachers do not use such applications and do not believe that such a thing will happen in the next school year.

They are wary of the app’s ability to help students with their coursework and homework. They also do not believe that AI applications will eliminate or limit tutoring and private lessons. Their opinions are divided as to whether students would like artificial-teacher applications. While they are negative about the prospect of replacing the human teacher with the robot teacher.

Also, their views are divided on the help that could be offered, the descriptive assessment, by the applications of artificial intelligence. Although parents and teachers could have it available at all times. Balanced distribution of responses on whether the coexistence of teachers and artificial intelligence applications would lead to better preparation of teachers for the lesson.

Educators are very concerned about the collection and use of students’ personal data by artificial intelligence applications.

They are not worried about the replacement of teachers by teacher-robots, in the next 20 years, in Greece. Finally, they do not feel ready to integrate artificial intelligence into the educational process.

It should be pointed out that the conclusions have been drawn from data collected, in October 2023, nationwide, from teachers working in secondary education.