ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Teacher Education
This article is part of the Research TopicGenerative Artificial Intelligence and Writing Instruction in K–12 and college educationView all articles
AI, Writing, and Teacher Preparation 3 Special Education Teachers' Use of AI to Support Students with Disabilities in Writing
Provisionally accepted
- 1University of Kansas, Lawrence, United States
- 2The University of Kansas, Lawrence, United States
- 3Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, United States
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1 Abstract Introduction: Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have the potential to augment and alter writing instruction and the supports available to struggling writers and those with learning disabilities. Yet research continues to show that special education teachers do not feel prepared to integrate technology into writing instruction, despite evidence supporting its use to improve writing outcomes for students with disabilities. Methods: This study surveyed 420 high-incidence special education teachers nationwide using the Preparation to Integrate Writing and Technology in Special Education for Teachers Scale (PIWTSE-T), a validated measure. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, Pearson and Spearman correlations, multiple regression, and ANOVA to examine AI integration and its predictors. Results: Descriptive results indicated that special education teachers rarely use AI tools at any stage of the writing process. Multiple regression revealed that teachers' attitudes toward AI were the strongest predictor of AI use. A final regression model identified three significant predictors—AI use to support student learning (AISS), AI use to support teaching practice (AITP), and preparation to integrate technology into writing (PITW), explaining 53% of the variance in AI integration. Discussion: This study adds to the growing body of literature highlighting the need for special education teacher preparation programs to strengthen their efforts to prepare educators to leverage
Keywords: artificial intelligence, Writing, teacher preparation, Special Education, Professional Development
Received: 22 Sep 2025; Accepted: 20 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Goldman, Smith and Carreon. 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: Samantha Goldman, samantha.goldman@ku.edu
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