What does this research mean for the field?

Pre-service special education teachers perceive AI as a transformative pedagogical agent capable of supporting independent living and social skills for students with special needs, while also recognizing risks that necessitate ethics-driven AI literacy. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

To examine how prospective special education teachers conceptualize the role of artificial intelligence in special education and organize meanings surrounding its future instructional use.

August 30, 2026PLoS ONEOpen Access

These children can become independent thanks to artificial intelligence! – A qualitative analysis of pre‑service teachers’ views on the use of artificial intelligence in special education

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To examine how prospective special education teachers conceptualize the role of artificial intelligence in special education and organize meanings surrounding its future instructional use.
Conducted an interpretive phenomenological study involving semi-structured individual interviews with 14 pre-service teachers with prior artificial intelligence coursework or project experience.
Analyzed interview transcripts using qualitative content analysis to extract primary categories of meaning.
Identified four overarching thematic categories: Teacher, Child and Family, Education, and Artificial Intelligence and Future.
Participants recognized artificial intelligence as a mechanism to individualize instruction and foster critical learner skills, including independent living, decision-making, and social interaction.
Participants articulated substantial concerns regarding potential learner dependency, social isolation, data privacy violations, and broader ethical ambiguities.

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Implication

Qualitative study reveals dual views of artificial intelligence benefits and ethical risks among pre-service special educators, highlighting the need for ethics-focused literacy.

Cite This Study

ÇOTUK et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a93f0b06c1a8fb52e79d10b https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0355713

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Implication

Qualitative study reveals dual views of artificial intelligence benefits and ethical risks among pre-service special educators, highlighting the need for ethics-focused literacy.

These children can become independent thanks to artificial intelligence! – A qualitative analysis of pre‑service teachers’ views on the use of artificial intelligence in special education

Key Points

Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

These children can become independent thanks to artificial intelligence! – A qualitative analysis of pre‑service teachers’ views on the use of artificial intelligence in special education

Key Points

Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

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