Higher levels of technical digital literacy significantly reduce artificial intelligence (AI) anxiety among pre-service teachers, suggesting targeted technical skills development could help prepare future educators to embrace AI technologies with greater confidence.

Objective: The main goal of this study was to determine whether pre-service teachers' digital literacy levels reliably correlate with and predict their anxiety about artificial intelligence, with the aim of understanding how to better prepare future teachers for integrating AI into educational settings.

Methods: The researchers conducted a correlational study with 221 pre-service teachers from Turkish state and private universities, drawn from a population of 3922 pre-service teachers. Data was collected using three instruments: a Personal Information Form for demographic data, the Digital Literacy Scale (with attitude, technical, cognitive, and social sub-dimensions), and the Artificial Intelligence Anxiety Scale (with learning, job replacement, sociotechnical blindness, and AI configuration sub-dimensions). The data was analyzed using stepwise regression analysis and descriptive statistics after validating necessary statistical assumptions.

Key Findings:

• Pre-service teachers exhibited high levels of digital literacy overall (x̄=3.69 on a 5-point scale)
• Pre-service teachers showed moderate levels of AI anxiety (x̄=3.28 on a 7-point scale)
• The technical sub-dimension of digital literacy was found to be a significant negative predictor of AI anxiety, explaining 10.3% of the variance
• As pre-service teachers' perception of technical digital fluency increased, their apprehensions regarding AI decreased
• Other sub-dimensions of digital literacy (attitude, cognitive, and social) were not significant predictors of AI anxiety
• Pre-service teachers expressed low anxiety about learning new AI-related skills but moderate concerns about job replacement, sociotechnical blindness, and AI configuration

Implications: The findings suggest that enhancing pre-service teachers' technical digital skills could be an effective approach for reducing their anxiety about AI technologies. Technical competence appears to provide confidence that helps future teachers feel more prepared to adapt to technological changes in education. The study's results indicate that teacher education programs should emphasize practical, hands-on technical training related to AI technologies rather than just theoretical knowledge or social aspects of digital literacy. This has important implications for designing curricula that effectively prepare teachers for the increasing integration of AI in educational settings.

Limitations: The researchers acknowledge several limitations: the study used only self-report measures which assumes accuracy of responses; the sample size (221 participants) was relatively small compared to the total population; there was uneven representation with most participants coming from state universities; and the study was limited to pre-service teachers in Turkey, which may limit generalizability to other contexts or practicing teachers.

Future Directions: The researchers suggest several directions for future research: conducting similar studies with larger and more diverse participant groups, including practicing teachers; examining how digital literacy training interventions might affect AI anxiety levels; exploring the effects of cognitive and social dimensions of digital literacy on AI anxiety in different cultural and educational contexts; organizing practical workshops that allow pre-service teachers to directly interact with AI tools; and developing modules addressing the impact of AI on the labor market to enhance career adaptation skills.

Title and Authors: "Are Turkish pre-service teachers worried about AI? A study on AI anxiety and digital literacy" by Damla Ayduğ and Hakan Altınpulluk.

Published On: April 25, 2025

Published By: AI & Society

The study positions itself within growing concerns about how AI will transform education and teaching practices. By identifying technical digital literacy as a significant predictor of reduced AI anxiety, the research provides a concrete pathway for addressing teachers' apprehensions about emerging AI technologies. The authors argue that preparing pre-service teachers with strong technical skills will not only reduce their anxiety but also enable them to better leverage AI tools in their future teaching roles. The moderate level of AI anxiety observed suggests that while Turkish pre-service teachers have concerns about AI (particularly regarding job replacement and losing control of technology), these concerns are not overwhelming—a finding the researchers connect to projections that education may experience less AI-driven job displacement than other sectors.