An Exploratory Cross-National Study of K–12 Teachers’ Generative AI Literacy and Classroom Enactment

Guided by Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), this qualitative study examines how K–12 teachers across five countries, the United States (n = 7), India (n = 5), Qatar (n = 5), Colombia (n = 5), and the Philippines (n = 4), conceptualize AI literacy and integrate generative AI into their practice. Through 26 semi-structured interviews conducted in summer and fall 2025, we identified three cross-national patterns that challenge dominant narratives about AI adoption in education. First, institutional support did not uniformly predict AI literacy depth: the four Filipino teachers developed sophisticated prompt engineering competencies despite low institutional backing, while the five Indian teachers showed the lowest awareness despite strong organizational support. Second, prompt engineering awareness functioned as a critical differentiator between teachers who engaged with AI as a pedagogical skill and those who treated it as an opaque productivity tool. Third, AI use for lesson preparation far outpaced classroom-facing application across all contexts. These findings reframe AI readiness as a question not of access and support but of whether conditions cultivate the interaction competence that meaningful integration demands.