ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Digital Learning Innovations
This article is part of the Research TopicBeyond Constructionism: Learning, Agency, and Design in the Age of Artificial IntelligenceView all articles
Iterative Development of an AI Intervention for Pre-Service Physics Teachers from a Vygotskian Perspective
Provisionally accepted
- University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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While artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming many sectors, its integration into pre-service teacher education in higher education remains limited. This study investigates the iterative development and effects of a concise, two-session educational intervention designed to foster AI literacy among pre-service physics teachers at the University of Cologne (n = 31 across two cohorts). Within the intervention, students use generative AI tools as didactic instruments to create lesson plans and reflect on the use of AI. Following a design-based research approach, the intervention was implemented in two iterations and structured according to the 5E instructional model. AI literacy was measured with a validated 30-item test, and attitudes toward AI were assessed via a 4-point Likert survey. Results show only small, non-significant increases in overall AI literacy, with selective gains in competencies explicitly supported by hands-on activities and targeted scaffolding. Attitudinal measures, however, indicated that even brief interventions can strengthen participants’ openness toward AI and their perceived preparedness to use AI tools in teaching. The iterative comparison highlights format-sensitive effects. Taken together, the findings suggest that while short design-based interventions can selectively activate elements of AI literacy and foster professional confidence, more sustained, context-rich engagements are required to achieve comprehensive and durable AI literacy development in pre-service teacher education.
Keywords: Design based research, AI literacy, pre-service teacher education, Vygotski, Attitude, knowledge gain
Received: 17 Sep 2025; Accepted: 21 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Henze, Lademann, Becker-Genschow and Bresges. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jannik Henze, jannik.henze@uni-koeln.de
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