Who Are the Early AI Adopters in Schools in Serbia? A Secondary Analysis of TALIS 2024 Data

АУТОР(И) / AUTHOR(S): Olja Jovanović , Katarina Mićić

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.46793/TIE26.106J

САЖЕТАК /ABSTRACT:

The rapid development of artificial intelligence has intensified interest in how teachers adopt and appropriate this technology in educational practice. Guided by the Diffusion of Innovations framework, this study analyzed TALIS data from Serbia to examine differences between AI users and non-users and to look into distinct AI user profiles and differences in their professional functioning. Analyses included data of 1312 teachers about the use and their beliefs about AI, as well as their sociodemographic and psychological characteristics, and characteristics of their school contexts. Compared with non-users, AI users reported greater digital preparedness, higher instructional self-efficacy, more positive perceptions of AI’s instructional benefits, and stronger professional collaboration. The groups did not differ in socio-demographic characteristics, perceived AI risks, work-related stress, job satisfaction, or joy of teaching. Cluster analysis identified four distinct patterns of AI appropriation: instructional planning, content summarization, instructional adaptation, and comprehensive AI use. These profiles differed in instructional self-efficacy and workplace stress but not in professional collaboration. Overall, the findings suggest that AI is used to extend rather than replace teachers’ pedagogical practices, with different patterns of AI appropriation reflecting teachers’ professional agency rather than attempts to compensate for professional barriers.

КЉУЧНЕ РЕЧИ / KEYWORDS: 

Artificial intelligence; Teachers; Diffusion of innovations; Educational technology; TALIS

 ПРОЈЕКАТ / ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

This research was supported by the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia through institutional funding for scientific research at the University of Belgrade – Faculty of Philosophy (Contract No. 451-03-33/2026-03/200163).

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