Transforming science teacher education in the era of generative artificial intelligence: global perspectives

Since generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has emerged as a transformative force in science teaching, learning, and evaluation, countries worldwide have launched initiatives and professional development programs to equip science teachers with essential AI competencies. This paper provides a comparative review of science teacher education on GenAI across eight countries: Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Ghana, Singapore, South Korea, and the United States. For each country, briefs on science teacher education, the application of AI and GenAI in science teacher education, and stakeholders’ (science teachers’ and science teacher educators/researchers’) perceptions of GenAI in science education are reported. Synthesising reports across countries, it was found that GenAI was globally accepted in science teacher education systems, regardless of a country’s economic development, and that while centralised teacher education systems were more efficient, decentralised systems were more deliberate in incorporating GenAI into science teacher education. Lessons from each country’s case could bridge remaining disparities among them, and help address ethical concerns in adopting GenAI for science education through science teacher education. This study provides a greater understanding of the current status of global science teacher education in the era of GenAI, identifies opportunities for future research, and highlights policy implications.