The Challenges of Using AI Applications in the Educational Process by High School Teachers

Abstract

The study aimed to identify the challenges of using artificial intelligence (AI) applications in the educational process according to the following dimensions: technical infrastructure, physical infrastructure, training and qualification, concerns and resistance, and curriculum integration. It also sought to assess the extent of these challenges and to examine differences based on country, gender, academic qualification, scientific specialization (humanities vs. sciences), and years of experience.

To achieve the study’s objectives, a special questionnaire was developed to measure these challenges across the mentioned dimensions. The questionnaire was distributed to a sample of 400 high school teachers from Baghdad (Republic of Iraq) and Aleppo (Syrian Arab Republic). The results indicated the following:

1. The relative percentage weight of AI adoption challenges in education was as follows: Technical infrastructure (86%), Physical infrastructure (79%), Training and qualification (82%), Concerns and resistance (64%), and Curriculum integration (79%). This indicates that the overall level of AI adoption challenges is high and exceeds the average level.


2. The most significant challenges in using AI applications in education were: Difficulty in accessing modern technologies (e.g., augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR)), Challenges in updating hardware and software, Difficulty in securing necessary funding, Concerns that AI reduces students’ social and emotional skills, and The lack of clear strategies and guidelines for AI integration into the curriculum.


3. No statistically significant differences were found in AI adoption challenges based on country, specialization, years of experience, and academic qualification, except for the training and qualification dimension, where significant differences were observed.