Sarah Joy Hess, Junior Researcher at PHZH within the SCRAI initiative, is conducting her PhD on responsible AI-driven innovation in Swiss schools. In this article, she presents her research.
Challenge
Schools face a growing need to integrate AI into teaching, yet little is known about the organizational conditions that drive Swiss teachers to innovate responsibly with AI. How does leadership at the school level shape individual teachers' willingness and ability to engage in AI-enhanced innovation?
Approach
This dissertation project consists of four interlinked empirical studies conducted in German-speaking Swiss schools. Two online surveys, one for teachers and one for school principals, examine individual and organizational factors using multilevel modeling to capture how school-level conditions shape individual teacher behavior. Qualitative focus group interviews with teacher teams deepen the understanding of patterns identified in the surveys. Finally, a practice-oriented professional development workshop translates findings into targeted support for schools.
Outcome In this project, we develop a multilevel framework to understand responsible AI-driven innovation in schools and identify the leadership behaviors and organizational conditions that enable teachers to innovate with AI, thereby informing the design of targeted professional development.
If this research speaks to your work or interests, please feel free to reach out!
Contact
Sarah Joy Hess, Junior Researcher, sarahjoy.hess@phzh.ch (PHZH), under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Thomas Schmalfeldt (PHZH) and Prof. Dr. Sascha Schneider (UZH), with support from postdoctoral researcher Dr. Sarah Zöchling (UZH).
