AI Is Reshaping Teacher Education
The rapid development of digital technology has changed how students learn and how future teachers prepare for their profession. AI is increasingly used for searching information, preparing learning materials, evaluating assignments, and supporting independent learning.
In education, AI can provide faster and more flexible access to information. Technologies such as adaptive learning systems, intelligent tutoring, learning analytics, and generative AI can also support personalized and interactive learning.
However, AI adoption also creates challenges. Uncontrolled use can contribute to technology dependence, reduced critical thinking, and ethical problems in handling digital information. For future teachers, simply knowing how to operate AI tools is therefore not enough.
Students also need the ability to evaluate information, understand digital ethics, manage digital resources, and use technology critically. These abilities form an important part of digital literacy and can influence how effectively future teachers use technology in educational settings.
Pedagogical readiness is similarly changing. Future teachers are expected not only to understand students and design learning activities but also to select appropriate digital media and integrate technology into teaching. Digital competence has consequently become increasingly connected with preparation for technology-supported education.
Study Involved 136 PGMI Students
Yuyun Yumiarty conducted a quantitative explanatory study involving students in the PGMI program at IAIN Curup. The population consisted of 240 second-semester students, from which 136 respondents were selected through random sampling.
Participants completed a questionnaire using a five-point Likert scale. The questionnaire measured three main areas: the ability of AI to support learning and information access, students’ ability to use and evaluate digital information, and their readiness to design and implement technology-based learning.
The collected data were analyzed using SmartPLS. Rather than relying only on direct relationships, the analysis also examined whether digital literacy could explain part of the relationship between AI and pedagogical readiness.
AI Shows Significant Links With Digital Literacy and Teaching Readiness
The analysis found positive and statistically significant relationships among all three main variables.
- AI → Digital Literacy: coefficient 0.675, t = 6.345, p = 0.000.
- AI → Pedagogical Readiness: coefficient 0.288, t = 2.111, p = 0.017.
- Digital Literacy → Pedagogical Readiness: coefficient 0.467, t = 3.510, p = 0.000.
These results indicate that greater use of AI was associated with stronger digital literacy among the students. Digital literacy, in turn, was significantly associated with greater pedagogical readiness.
The study also found a significant indirect relationship. Digital literacy mediated the relationship between AI and pedagogical readiness, with a mediation coefficient of 0.315, t = 4.030, and p = 0.000.
This means that the connection between AI and teaching preparedness was not limited to direct AI use. Digital literacy served as an important pathway through which AI was linked to students’ readiness to design and implement technology-based learning.
Digital Literacy Becomes the Critical Bridge
The findings reported by Yuyun Yumiarty at IAIN Curup suggest that AI can contribute to students’ ability to access, evaluate, and manage digital information. Students who were more familiar with AI demonstrated stronger capabilities in using digital media and managing independent learning activities.
At the same time, the direct relationship between AI and pedagogical readiness was weaker than the relationship between AI and digital literacy. This distinction is important because it indicates that technological exposure alone does not fully explain teaching preparedness.
Yumiarty’s analysis indicates that digital literacy functions as a bridge between AI use and pedagogical readiness. Students with stronger digital literacy are better positioned to understand AI applications and translate technological capabilities into educational practices.
The study further found that students with stronger digital literacy were better prepared to use digital learning media, manage technology-supported learning environments, prepare digital learning materials, and develop innovative instructional strategies.
Implications for Universities and Teacher Preparation
The findings have practical implications for universities responsible for preparing future teachers. AI integration should not be treated solely as a matter of providing students with access to new technology.
Higher education institutions can combine AI-based learning activities with structured digital literacy development. Such training can help future teachers understand how to evaluate AI-generated information, use digital resources responsibly, and integrate technology into learning activities.
Yuyun Yumiarty of IAIN Curup recommends strengthening digital literacy programs alongside AI implementation in higher education. The study also encourages lecturers to integrate AI technologies into teaching practices in a directed and ethical manner.
For teacher education programs, the findings suggest that preparing teachers for an AI-driven educational environment involves more than technical skills. Future teachers need the ability to connect technology with sound pedagogical decisions.
The research also identifies areas for further investigation. Future studies could examine factors such as AI literacy, AI self-efficacy, technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK), motivation, institutional support, and students’ experience with AI. Longitudinal, experimental, comparative, and mixed-method research could provide additional evidence about how AI-supported learning influences pedagogical development over time.
Author Profile
Yuyun Yumiarty is affiliated with Institut Agama Islam Negeri (IAIN) Curup. Her research in this article focuses on the relationship between Artificial Intelligence, digital literacy, and pedagogical readiness among prospective teachers, particularly students in the Primary School Teacher Education (PGMI) program. The published article identifies Yuyun Yumiarty as its corresponding author.
The available article does not state an academic degree for Yuyun Yumiarty, so no degree is added here to avoid introducing unsupported information.
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