Teachers’ Awareness, Attitudes, and Readiness to Integrate Artificial Intelligence for Instructional Delivery in Secondary Schools in Ondo State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated teachers’ awareness, attitudes, and readiness to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) for instructional delivery in secondary schools across Ondo State, Nigeria. Driven by the global shift toward digital learning technologies, the research evaluated educators' familiarity with AI tools, their perceptions of AI's utility, and their practical capacity to adopt AI applications in classroom teaching. A descriptive survey research design was adopted, utilizing a sample of secondary school teachers selected through a simple random sampling technique from schools in Ondo State. Data were collected using a validated, structured questionnaire titled Teachers’ AI Integration Survey (TAIS), which demonstrated strong internal consistency reliability. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics (percentages, frequency counts, weighted means, and standard deviations) for operational research questions. Findings revealed that while secondary school teachers in Ondo State exhibit a high level of general AI awareness and hold a largely positive attitude toward AI as an instructional delivery system, their actual practical readiness to integrate AI tools remains critically low. Significant barriers impeding readiness included inadequate technological infrastructure, unstable power supply, lack of institutional funding, absence of clear policy guidelines, and insufficient hands-on professional development training.  It is recommended that the Ondo State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology collaborate with educational technology stakeholders to upgrade ICT infrastructure in secondary schools, organize targeted AI literacy workshops for teachers, and formulate clear policy framework guidelines for ethical AI integration in instruction.