From Skepticism to Integration: Mathematics Teacher Educators' Perspectives and Practices of Using AI Technologies

Using generative artificial intelligence (AI) has become increasingly popular in mathematics education, with many highlighting its benefits but cautioning about its risks. Thus, it is critical to explore how mathematics teacher educators (MTEs) use AI and perceive its benefits and challenges. In this study, we administered a survey with 54 MTEs to investigate their perspectives on and ways of using generative AI technologies in their work of preparing preservice teachers (PTs). Using exploratory factor and descriptive statistical analysis, along with open and pattern coding, we reported on the MTEs' perspectives, including their perceived benefits of and concerns about using AI, and their uses of AI. MTEs shared that saving time and generating content as the AI's primary benefits and were mostly concerned about the lack of critical thinking and the loss of independent thinking. Their common uses of AI were designing and analyzing lesson plans and tasks, and analyzing AI-generated outputs for mathematical accuracy. We classified the MTEs into AI skeptics, AI cautious integrators, and AI integrators to demonstrate how their perspectives informed their practices. Although all shared concerns about PTs' loss of critical and independent thinking, AI skeptics highlighted the ethical concerns, and AI cautious integrators described a lack of time as one of the reasons for not fully integrating AI into their practice. We speculate on how reflections on the MTEs' perspectives and practices can create a space to support MTEs' professional growth and, in turn, their PTs' growth, particularly for what AI advances can bring in the future.