Artificial Intelligence and rural education: a qualitative analysis of secondary school teachers’ experiences and expectations
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53485/rsu.v9i2.739Keywords:
artificial intelligence, rural education, secondary education, qualitative research, teaching practiceAbstract
This article analyzes the experiences and expectations of secondary education teachers in a rural district of the Dominican Republic, regarding the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Using a qualitative approach and a phenomenological design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with five key informants to explore their knowledge, practices, and the barriers they encounter. The results reveal that, although there is an incipient professional knowledge that positions AI as an assistant for planning and assessment, its use is unsystematic and characterized by "pedagogical vigilance" due to distrust in the accuracy of generated content. Multidimensional barriers were identified, highlighting precarious infrastructure (lack of electricity and equipment) and attitudinal factors such as the fear of professional displacement. The study concludes that digital literacy in rural contexts must move beyond an instrumental approach to focus on continuous, collaborative, and deeply human training. Teachers demand support that respects rural rhythms and anchors technology to the national curriculum, allowing AI to be perceived as an ally for the dignity of their work rather than an additional factor of exclusion.
References
Álvarez-Flores, E.A. (2024). Integración de las TIC en la enseñanza y aprendizaje en estudiantes del nivel Secundario en una provincia de la República Dominicana. RiiTERevista interuniversitaria de investigación en Tecnología Educativa, 17, 101-115. https://doi.org/10.6018/riite.621161 DOI: https://doi.org/10.6018/riite.621161
Barco Arias, A. F., Ramírez Apolo, D. I., Martínez Cordero, Z. P., Torres De La Cruz, D., & Tapia Pincay, M. M. (2025). La inteligencia artificial como herramienta didáctica en el análisis literario escolar: implicaciones éticas y pedagógicas. Prisma Journal, 1(3). https://doi.org/10.63803/prisma.v1n3.13 DOI: https://doi.org/10.63803/prisma.v1n3.13
Batista-Pérez, D. R., y Gallur-Santorun, S. (2023). Percepción sobre competencias digitales en docentes de segundo ciclo de secundaria de la República Dominicana. Desafíos, 14(2), 109-17. https://doi. org/10.37711/desafios.2023.14.2.403 DOI: https://doi.org/10.37711/desafios.2023.14.2.403
Egwurugwu, D. C. (2024). Teacher and administrator perceptions of AI integration in educational management in public senior secondary schools in Rivers State. Journal of Association of Educational Management and Policy Practitioners, 5(1), 300-317. https://journals.aemapp.org/index.php/JAEMAPP/article/view/204
Fernández-Cruz, F. J., Rodríguez-Legendre, F., & Sainz, V. (2024). La competencia digital docente y el diseño de situaciones innovadoras con TIC para la mejora del aprendizaje. Bordón. Revista De Pedagogía, 76(2), 11–24. https://doi.org/10.13042/Bordon.2024.106342 DOI: https://doi.org/10.13042/Bordon.2024.106342
Flores-Vivar, J. M., & García-Peñalvo, F. J. (2023). Reflexiones sobre la ética, potencialidades y retos de la inteligencia artificial en el marco de la Educación de Calidad (ODS4). Comunicar, 31(74). https://doi.org/10.3916/C74-2023-03 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3916/C74-2023-03
Giordano, M. E. (2024). Teacher perceptions of artificial intelligence in the classroom: A basic qualitative study [Disertación doctoral, American College of Education].
Holmes, W., Bialik, M., & Fadel, C. (2019). Artificial intelligence in education: Promises and implications for teaching and learning. Center for Curriculum Redesign. http://bit.ly/AIED-BOOK
Luckin, R., Holmes, W., Griffiths, M., & Forcier, L. B. (2016). Intelligence unleashed: An argument for AI in education. Pearson Education.
Macas Collaguazo, D. F., Toapanta Andrango, L. B., & Maliza Cruz, W. I. (2026). Percepción y aceptación docente del uso de la inteligencia artificial como apoyo a la planificación y evaluación pedagógica en docentes de educación secundaria de la Unidad Educativa Fiscal Abdón Calderón, Quito-Ecuador. Sinergia Académica, 9(4), 547-567.
Marín Díaz, V., Sampedro, B. E., & Cáceres, M. del P. (2024). Percepciones de los docentes en formación de educación secundaria sobre la dimensión inclusiva de la realidad mixta. EDUCAR, 60(2), 397–412. https://doi.org/10.5565/rev/educar.1926 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5565/rev/educar.1926
MINERD. (2016). Diseño curricular del nivel secundario: Segundo ciclo. Ministerio de Educación de la República Dominicana.
Martínez Molina, O. A. (2025). Educación Rural Digital: Superando la Brecha en América Latina: Digital Rural Education: Bridging the Gap in Latin America. Revista Scientific, 10(Ed. Esp. 6), 10–21. https://doi.org/10.29394/Scientific.issn.2542-2987.2025.10.E6.0.10-21 DOI: https://doi.org/10.29394/Scientific.issn.2542-2987.2025.10.E6.0.10-21
Mero Baquerizo, C. A. ., Vasco Delgado, J. C. ., Macas Padilla, B. A. ., & Ruiz Muñoz , G. F. . (2025). Impacto de la inteligencia artificial en las prácticas didácticas y la personalización del aprendizaje. Revista Social Fronteriza, 5(6), e–986. https://doi.org/10.59814/resofro.2025.5(6)986 DOI: https://doi.org/10.59814/resofro.2025.5(6)986
Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A Framework for Teacher Knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108, 1017-1054. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9620.2006.00684.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/016146810610800610
Morales-Loor, K. P., Romero-Amores, N. V., Bayas-Jaramillo, C. M., & Vasco-Delgado, J. C. (2025). Integración de la tecnología en la formación docente: Tendencias y desafíos: Integration of technology in teacher education: Trends and challenges. Multidisciplinary Latin American Journal (MLAJ), 3(1), 448-467. https://doi.org/10.62131/MLAJ-V3-N1-022 DOI: https://doi.org/10.62131/MLAJ-V3-N1-022
Nogaibayeva, A., & Yersultanova, G. (2025). 'It is not the same as a classroom teacher': A qualitative study of foreign language teachers' perspectives on artificial intelligence-supported tools in Kazakhstan. Contemporary Educational Technology, 17(4), ep599. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/17405 DOI: https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/17405
Questa-Torterolo, M., Cabrera Borges, C., Padrón Maurino, Y., & Pereira Ramón, N. (2025). Inteligencia artificial en secundaria: perspectivas y percepciones de docentes uruguayos. Cuadernos de Investigación Educativa, 16(2). https://doi.org/10.18861/cied.2025.16.2.4139 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18861/cied.2025.16.2.4139
Ramírez Candamil, J., Peláez-Arango, A., & Castaño Duque, G. A. (2025). Análisis sobre las percepciones de docentes en el uso y apropiación de las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación. Educación Y Educadores, 28(1), e2816. https://doi.org/10.5294/edu.2025.28.1.6 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5294/edu.2025.28.1.6
Romero Encarnación, B. E., & Alcántara Carela, J. (2025). Integración de la tecnología digital en el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje en la educación secundaria de la República Dominicana. Ciencia Y Reflexión, 4(3), 1443–1452. https://doi.org/10.70747/cr.v4i3.522 DOI: https://doi.org/10.70747/cr.v4i3.522
Serbah, F. Y. (2025). The impact of artificial intelligence on secondary school EFL teachers' lesson planning and pedagogical approaches: A qualitative study of teachers in Djelfa. Pegem Journal of Education and Instruction, 15(4), 2307-2318. https://www.pegegog.net/index.php/pegegog/article/view/4421/1391
Stake, R. E. (2005). The art of case study research. Sage.
Torres Chipana, A., Espinoza Rivas, G. R., Zuloaga Candia, P. R., & Rimascca Rodríguez, I. K. (2024). Alfabetización digital en docentes de educación superior. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10714274
Tripathi, T., Sharma, S. R., Singh, V., Bhargava, P., & Raj, C. (2025). Teaching and learning with AI: a qualitative study on K-12 teachers' use and engagement with artificial intelligence. Frontiers in Education, 10, 1651217. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1651217 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1651217
Williamson, B., & Eynon, R. (2020). Historical threads, missing links, and future directions in AI in education. Learning, Media and Technology, 45(3), 223–235. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2020.1798995 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2020.1798995
Downloads
Published
License
Copyright © 2026 Kaury Yismer Santana Galván
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
