BETWEEN TECHNICAL RATIONALITY AND RELATIONAL LABOR: A TECHNOFEMINIST ANALYSIS OF PRESERVICE PRESCHOOL TEACHERS' AI PERCEPTIONS AND METAPHORS

Gülçin Bilgener

Abstract


Artificial intelligence (AI) threatens to undermine teaching by simplifying practices into a rationalized process and potentially causing deskilling. This study investigated preservice preschool teachers’ professional perspectives and metaphorical conceptualization of AI within a technofeminist framework. The study focused on the inherent tension between the relational nature of early childhood education and the technical rationality of AI. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was employed with 150 preservice preschool teachers at a Turkish state university. Data were collected utilizing a 15-item AI perception scale, a metaphor form, and three open-ended questions probing the uses of AI, collaboration with AI systems, and broader anxieties. Findings indicated that despite preservice teachers holding a high awareness of the instructional advantages of AI, their moral reservations persisted independently of pedagogical assessments and showed no correlation with frequency of application. Qualitatively, preservice teachers framed AI through theory-driven themes such as “the God trick” and “deskilling”. Female participants' exclusive articulation of the “domestication” theme illustrated a strategy where women tailor technology to their pedagogical goals through relational metaphors such as “mother” and “confidant.” The study demonstrated that AI is not a neutral tool in education but is actively shaped by societal gender structures, necessitating a politically informed approach to teacher education.

Keywords


artificial intelligence in education, technofeminism, preservice preschool teachers, relational labor, deskilling, metaphorical conceptualization

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v13i11.7070

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