The Effect of Transformational Leadership on Teachers' and Students' Digital Adoption of Artificial Intelligence Technology in Elementary Schools Across Jatisampurna District Bekasi City

Muhammad Abdul Mughni Azis, Muhammad Rijal Alfanda Arraziqii, Shifa Nailatul Izzah, Mustiningsih Mustiningsih

Abstract


Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly used in elementary education, yet its adoption may differ between teachers and students and may depend on school leadership. This study examined the effect of principals’ transformational leadership on teachers’ and students’ adoption of AI technology, with teachers’ adoption tested as a mediating variable. A quantitative causal-associative design was used. Participants were 37 fourth- and fifth-grade teachers and 235 students from seven elementary schools in Jatisampurna District, Bekasi City, Indonesia. Data were collected through four-point Likert-scale questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics and Hayes PROCESS Model 4 with 5,000 bootstrap samples. Student scores were aggregated by teacher for the mediation analysis (n = 37). Transformational leadership, teachers’ AI adoption, and students’ AI adoption were all rated positively. Transformational leadership significantly predicted teachers’ AI adoption (b = 0.9462, p < .001), explaining 76.85% of its variance. However, transformational leadership did not significantly predict students’ adoption, teachers’ adoption did not significantly predict students’ adoption, and the indirect effect was not significant. The findings indicate that leadership can strengthen teachers’ AI use, but student a

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References


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