The Reality of Early Childhood Teachers’ Attitudes toward the Use of Artificial Intelligence–Supported Enrichment Programs in Hail City

Abstract

The present study employed the descriptive approach with the aim of identifying the current status of early childhood teachers’ attitudes toward employing AI-supported enrichment programs in the city of Hail, as well as examining their level of knowledge about these programs and the challenges facing their implementation in the educational environment. It also sought to investigate the significance of differences in teachers’ attitudes according to the variable of recency of graduation. The study sample consisted of (62) kindergarten teachers from public and private kindergartens in Hail. The research instrument, “Early Childhood Teachers’ Attitudes toward Employing AI-Supported Enrichment Programs Questionnaire,” was administered. The results revealed that the overall level of early childhood teachers’ attitudes toward employing AI-supported enrichment programs was high. Furthermore, the findings indicated statistically significant differences between the mean scores of teachers’ attitudes and the hypothetical mean in favor of the teachers’ actual mean scores. The results also showed statistically significant differences in teachers’ attitudes toward employing AI-supported enrichment programs attributable to the variable of recency of graduation, in favor of recently graduated teachers. In light of these findings, the study recommended the necessity of developing specialized training programs for early childhood teachers to enhance their competencies in educationally employing artificial intelligence, providing supportive technological infrastructure in kindergartens, and establishing clear educational policies that ensure the safe and ethical use of AI technologies in early childhood education, thereby contributing to improving the quality of education and developing children’s skills.