AI literacy is directly associated with positive attitudes and indirectly associated with negative attitudes through AI anxiety: a cross-sectional study of preservice teachers
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Introduction: Positive and negative attitudes toward artificial intelligence (AI) may have partly distinct psychological correlates. This cross-sectional study examined whether AI anxiety statistically accounted for associations between AI literacy and positive and negative attitudes toward AI among preservice teachers. Methods: Participants were 335 preservice teachers enrolled in a faculty of education in Türkiye. Data were collected using the Artificial Intelligence Literacy Scale, Artificial Intelligence Anxiety Scale, Artificial Intelligence Attitude Scale, and a personal information form. Two indirect-effect models were estimated using PROCESS Model 4 with 5,000 bootstrap resamples, controlling for prior AI training. Results: AI literacy was negatively associated with AI anxiety and positively associated with positive attitudes toward AI. AI anxiety was positively associated with negative attitudes but was not significantly associated with positive attitudes. The indirect association through AI anxiety was significant for negative attitudes but not for positive attitudes, and a direct bootstrap contrast confirmed that the two indirect effects differed significantly (B = -0.118, 95% CI [-0.201, -0.039]). Prior AI training was not significantly associated with either attitude dimension. A sensitivity analysis excluding the three reverse-worded AI literacy items reproduced this pattern. Discussion: The findings indicate that positive and negative attitudes toward AI may have partly distinct psychological correlates: AI literacy is directly related to positive evaluations, whereas its association with negative evaluations is statistically linked to AI anxiety. Because the data are cross-sectional, the indirect effects should not be interpreted as evidence of causal mediation.
Source: Frontiers in Psychology
Authors: İsmail Satmaz, Mehmet Adıyaman
Institution: Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart Üniversitesi
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,801
OpenAlex ID: W7223176496