Research Summary: K-12 in-service teachers' beliefs about generative AI in classrooms: insights from the United States, India, Qatar, Colombia, and the Philippines

A multi-national study across five countries reveals that K-12 in-service teachers' positive beliefs about generative AI are strongly predicted by their AI readiness, institutional support, and prior GenAI use. Conversely, concerns regarding plagiarism and creativity associated with GenAI are less influenced by these factors, instead correlating with attributional and contextual factors specific to different countries.

Why it matters

This research provides critical insights into the factors influencing K-12 teachers' perspectives on generative AI, highlighting the importance of support structures and experience. Understanding these drivers is essential for developing effective strategies for technology integration and addressing pedagogical concerns across diverse educational systems.

Key insights

• AI readiness, institutional support, and prior use are the strongest predictors of K-12 teachers' positive beliefs about generative AI in the classroom.
• These three predictors accounted for 50% of the variance in positive beliefs.
• Plagiarism and creativity concerns related to generative AI were less predicted by AI readiness, institutional support, and prior use (explaining only 6-7% of variance).
• Concerns about plagiarism and creativity were instead linked to country-specific attributional and contextual factors.
• The study involved 1,405 teachers from the United States, India, Qatar, Colombia, and the Philippines.

Source

Frontiers in Education — https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2026.1929017