ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Educational Psychology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1588047
Advancing Educational Equity in Rural China: The Impact of AI Devices on Teaching Quality and Learning Outcomes for Sustainable Development
Provisionally accepted
- 1Hangzhou City University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
- 2Lingnan University, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong, SAR China
- 3Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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This study investigates the impact of AI-assisted teaching on teaching quality and learning outcomes in rural schools in China, aiming to promote educational equity and sustainable educational growth. Through questionnaire surveys of 268 teachers and controlled experiments in 12 schools (4 urban, 8 rural), we assess whether AI-integrated Mixed Reality (MR) devices can enhance educational experiences in resource-constrained environments, supporting sustainable development. The research integrates the Technology Readiness Index (TRI), Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT), and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to propose a comprehensive framework for studying teachers' acceptance of these devices. Results indicate that AI-assisted teaching significantly improves teaching quality and learning outcomes, particularly in natural science courses, with rural schools showing greater gains (15.69% score improvement vs. 10.27% urban). Education investment in such technologies can reduce urban-rural disparities. Future research should explore subject-specific applications, strengthen teacher training, and enhance technical support to achieve educational equity and sustainable educational growth.
Keywords: Sustainable, AI assisted teaching, educational equity, education investment, sustainable educational growth
Received: 05 Mar 2025; Accepted: 20 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Chen, Wu, Chen and Zhou. 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: Peng Zhou, peng_zhou@hust.edu.cn
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