Effects of virtual peer based on generative artificial Intelligence on pre-service teachers’ informational instructional design ability

In recent years, generative artificial Intelligence (GAI) has garnered significant attention within the academic community. However, there remains a lack of empirical research exploring how pre-service teachers utilize GAI to aid in the design of their teaching plans. Consequently, this study focuses on 60 pre-service teachers and employs a single-group weak-experimental design, conducting an 11-week teaching practice to investigate the impact of virtual peer leveraging GAI on the TPACK competencies of pre-service teachers. The research findings indicate: (1) Virtual peer based GAI can significantly enhance the pre-service teachers’ ability in informational instructional design; (2) Students with high prior knowledge levels demonstrate a more positive attitude compared to those with low levels, and their AI-TPK and AI-TPACK abilities are significantly improved, while there is no significant difference in AI-TCK between the two types of students; (3) Students exhibit more moderate levels of cognitive engagement, with weaker connections at deeper levels of cognitive engagement. Furthermore, promoting the formation of a closed loop of “independent questioning → evaluation and reflection → in-depth exploration → innovative application” is a potential path to improve the learning effect. These findings can provide a reference for the deep integration application of GAI-driven products and teaching.