Illuminating teachers' artificial intelligence insight in Turkish educational terrain

Recognizing the increasing significance of adopting a collaborative, proactive, and nuanced approach to comprehending and applying AI in education, there is an urgent call to foster a nuanced understanding of AI applications and ensure its' responsible and ethical use. This urgency arises as students increasingly engage with artificial intelligence tools (Intelligent.com, 2023), while educators express growing concerns regarding justice, transparency, and privacy in the educational application of AI (Simhadri et al., 2023; Chan, 2023). Concurrently, educators exhibit varying levels of knowledge about the use of artificial intelligence in education (Simhadri et al., 2023), with this awareness proving to be a pivotal factor in effectively integrating artificial intelligence into teaching practices (AlKanaan, 2022; Ayanwale et al., 2022; Zhai et al., 2021). These awareness levels may fluctuate depending on one's motivation for the teaching profession, expertise, experience, and the type of school they are affiliated with. Given that the incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) into education presents both challenges and opportunities, these dynamics are intricately connected to sociocultural and economic factors, as well as digital literacy levels, among other variables. From this perspective, it is pertinent to scrutinize the Artificial Intelligence Awareness of educators, including teachers, teacher candidates, and academics, within the Turkish education context to unveil perceptions and concerns on the subject. The foundational research for this section stems from the survey developed by Ferikoglu and Akgün (2022), reaching 1587 teachers, 8 academicians, and 154 educational leaders alike. Through this research, the chapter aspires to provide insights that could inform policymakers and educational technologists about strategies for the effective implementation of AI tools in education. By shedding light on potential social and ethical issues stemming from the misuse of AI in education, the research aims to underscore the necessity for nuanced understanding to avoid undesirable consequences. Ultimately, this study seeks to pave the way for a more informed and collaborative integration of artificial intelligence into Turkish education by comprehending and addressing the concerns and perceptions of teachers and educational leaders.