TEACHER PERCEPTIONS AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IMPACT ON GENERATIVE AI USE IN MIDDLE GRADES

Abstract

Educational technology is changing rapidly, partly due to the increased accessibility of generative AI available to teachers and to students. This case study aims to examine teacher perceptions and use of AI use in middle grades and how professional development opportunities impact these perceptions in three middle schools in Indiana. The research questions are (1) What innovative pedagogical uses for AI are reported by teachers?, (2) What professional development opportunities related to AI do middle grade teachers participate in? and (3) How do teacher perceive that professional development has supported their use of AI in the classroom? To obtain information about AI use in middle grade classrooms and teacher perceptions, a survey was disseminated via Google Forms to middle school teachers in three school districts in Indiana, and qualitative interviews were conducted with 12 teachers who elected to participate. Results of the study suggest connections between professional development opportunities in schools and positive perception and innovative use of AI tools in classrooms.