How Does AI Engage in Education? A Quantitative Research on AI Curriculum and Instruction in Public Primary Schools

Abstract

AI technology is recognized as a developing industry in recent years, however, few researches paid attention to how AI engage in education. The purposes of the study were to determine to what extent the primary school teachers familiar with AI technology, measure to what attitude the primary school teachers have to AI curriculum and instructions, and determine to what demands and challenges primary school teachers meet in delivering AI curriculum and/or applying AI technologies in their classes. An online survey was completed by 224 public primary school teachers who were from 16 school districts in Shanghai. Results of the study illustrated that Shanghai public primary school teachers had relatively low recognition level in the knowledge of AI technology; Secondly, Shanghai public primary school teachers had a positive attitude to AI curriculum and were willing to apply it in their classes; Thirdly, Shanghai public primary school teachers demanded AI training and AI labs; At last, the main challenges they met were limited instruction time, less professional AI trainings and old school facilities in AI course delivery.