Generative AI as a Symbolic Mirror.

Teachers’ Emotional and Reflective Meaning-Making Through Prompt’n’Play

Autors

Massimiliano Andreoletti; Maria Concetta Carruba; Maria Clara Dicataldo; Marika Lamacchia; Francesco Facciorusso.

Abstract

As Generative AI enters primary education, teachers must develop AI literacy and critically negotiate its pedagogical and emotional meanings (Long & Magerko, 2020). This sequential explanatory mixed-methods study involved 15 Italian primary teachers, mostly experienced (50% over 25 years teaching; 61.1% aged over 50), implementing Prompt’n’Play, a serious game designed for children’s AI literacy, with indirect effects on teacher development (Pozzi & Persico, 2024). Quantitative analyses (descriptives, Wilcoxon, Spearman) showed increased AI understanding (p=.037), self-confidence (M=3.50/5), perceived usefulness (M=4.00/5), prompt literacy (M=4.31/5), and conscious use (M=3.56/5), but moderate favourability toward adoption (M=3.00/5). SWOT and Reflexive Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) of open-ended and focus group data revealed AI as opportunity, threat, and symbolic mirror, informing critical and emotionally aware teacher education (Davis, 1989; Ranieri et al., 2024).

Keywords

Generative AI; Teacher education; AI literacy.

Bibliografia

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319–340. https://doi.org/10.2307/249008

Long, D., & Magerko, B. (2020). What is AI literacy? Competencies and design considerations. In Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1–16). Association for Computing Machinery. https://doi.org/10.1145/3313831.3376727

Pozzi, F., & Persico, D. (2024). Gamification for teacher professional development: The case for narrative approaches. Interaction Design and Architecture(s) Journal (IxD&A), 62, 26–40. https://doi.org/10.55612/s-5002-062-002

Ranieri, M., Biagini, G., & Cuomo, S. (2024). Less knowledge, more trust? Exploring potentially uncritical attitudes towards AI in higher education. Italian Journal of Educational Technology, 32(1), 37–52. https://doi.org/10.17471/2499-4324/1440

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