Chinese Special Education Teachers’ Experiences With Generative AI: Differences in Perceptions, Use, and TAM Pathways for IEP Writing and Lesson Planning

This study investigates how special education teachers perceive and use GenAI for writing Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and lesson plans. We surveyed 277 Chinese special education teachers and conducted follow-up interviews with 10 participants. Our results show that teachers rated GenAI lower for IEP writing compared to lesson plan writing across all dimensions of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). For lesson planning, all TAM pathways—Perceived Ease of Use (PEU) to Perceived Usefulness (PU), PEU to Intention to Use (IU), PU to IU, and IU to Actual Usage (AU)—were significant, indicating a smooth progression from perceptions to use. However, for IEP writing, the IU to AU pathway was not significant. Interviews highlighted the influence of task characteristics on teachers’ perceptions and use of GenAI.