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Lecturers’ perceptions on the integration of Generative AI in higher education : demographic influences, opportunities and challenges

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Title: Lecturers’ perceptions on the integration of Generative AI in higher education : demographic influences, opportunities and challenges Authors: Watted, Abeer; Attard Tonna, Michelle; Camilleri, Patrick Abstract: Aim/Purpose: This study examines lecturers’ perceptions of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in higher education and how these perceptions vary with demographic characteristics, namely gender, age and teaching experience. It further investigates how such perceptions relate to lecturers’ frequency of GenAI use and stage of adoption, identifying the opportunities and challenges lecturers associate with the integration of GenAI in educational practice. Background: The rapid emergence of GenAI has introduced new possibilities and challenges for higher education, yet empirical research examining lecturers’ perspectives, particularly within diverse contexts, remains limited. While existing studies have largely focused on students’ use of GenAI or technical adoption models, less attention has been given to lecturers’ perceptions, demographic influences, and the ethical and pedagogical implications of GenAI integration Methodology: A mixed-methods research design was employed. Quantitative data were collected through an online survey administered to 98 lecturers from different higher education institutions spanning a range of disciplines (55% male, 45% fe-male; 44% aged 25-45, 30% aged 46-55, 26% aged 56+). Qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with a purposive subsample of ten lecturers. Quantitative analyses included independent-samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and Spearman rank-order correlations, while qualitative data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic analysis. Contribution: Theoretically, the study extends technology-adoption research by integrating the Technology Acceptance Model with an interpretive technology-in-practice perspective, suggesting that lecturers’ perceptions of GenAI are socially situated and systematically shaped by gender, age, and teaching experience, and that these perceptions in turn are strongly associated with frequency of use and depth of adoption. Practically, the findings highlight the need for differentiated professional development, updated ethical guidelines, and redesigned assessment practices that foster critical AI literacy, supporting responsible and sustainable GenAI integration in higher education. Findings: Quantitative findings revealed significant demographic differences in lecturers’ perceptions. Female lecturers reported more positive perceptions than male lecturers on several pedagogical dimensions. A clear age-related gradient emerged, with lecturers aged 25-45 expressing the most favorable perceptions and those aged 56+ the least. Strong positive correlations were observed between perceptions and frequency of GenAI use, between perceptions and stage of adoption (rs = 0.67, p< 0.01) and between frequency of use and stage of adoption (rs= 0.74, p<0.01). Also, the thematic analysis of interview data identified three opportunity themes. These included: empowering lecturers in teaching and time management, enhancing pedagogical practices and student learning and improving accessibility to information and knowledge creation, alongside three challenging themes involving ethical and academic integrity concerns, technological limitations and dependency and threats to professional identity. Recommendations for Practitioners: Institutions should implement differentiated professional development and up-date ethical governance frameworks, with particular emphasis on redesigning assessment to foster critical GenAI literacy and authentic engagement. Recommendations for Researchers: Further studies should investigate how GenAI evolves from a technological tool into a sustained technology-in-practice within higher education systems. Impact on Society: The study underscores the importance of responsible GenAI integration to safeguard educational quality, equity, and human-centered academic values. Future Research: Future research should incorporate a larger, cross-cultural sample to explore how differing institutional, national, and policy environments moderate GenAI acceptance. Furthermore, while this investigation indicates an association be-tween positive perceptions and the frequency of GenAI use, a step for subsequent studies is to empirically validate the longitudinal relationship between initial positive attitudes and the deep, sustained integration of GenAI into core curricula and assessment practices.

Exploring teachers’ perspectives on mathematics anxiety : practices and support needs across Europe.

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Title: Exploring teachers’ perspectives on mathematics anxiety : practices and support needs across Europe. Authors: Palha, Sonia; Huhtasalo, Jenni; Jukić Matić, Ljerka; Strossmayer, Josip Juraj; Calleja, James; Leino, Mirka; Busuttil, Leonard; Gomes, Isabel Abstract: Mathematics anxiety (MA) is a widespread phenomenon that affects students’ engagement, well-being, performance, and future careers. This study explores how primary and secondary school teachers across five European countries notice and respond to students’ MA and are supported in this matter. Using a mixed-methods approach combining questionnaires and focus group interviews, data were collected from 154 teachers to explore teachers’ noticing of mathematics anxiety, the strategies they use to address it, and the support they receive and need. A key contribution of the study is the identification of three converging patterns across the five country cases: teachers recognized MA in highly similar ways, relied largely on intuitive and experience-based strategies, and reported a shared lack of systematic school-level support. The findings point to the need for further research on how teachers manage MA in classroom practice, including collaboration with parents and specialized staff, and on how teaching cultures shape the identification and alleviation of MA across countries. Further, our findings suggest the need for a comprehensive and context-sensitive professional development that supports teachers in recognizing and addressing MA across educational systems. Suggestions for practice are made that policymakers can address by developing measures for schools, teacher education and teaching professional development programs to adopt.

Stimulating change at the human–computer interface : cultivating cognitive and critical thinking through immersive virtual reality as an innovative pedagogy in STEM education

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Title: Stimulating change at the human–computer interface : cultivating cognitive and critical thinking through immersive virtual reality as an innovative pedagogy in STEM education Authors: Camilleri, Patrick; Frendo, Clarisse Schembri Abstract: Crafting STEM teaching into meaningful experiences can transform facts into knowledge. Immersive virtual reality (IVR) represents a significant pedagogical disruption, offering novel modalities of engagement with science content, extending beyond passive reception towards enhanced critical inquiry, reflective evaluation, and the cultivation of higher-order thinking skills. This study investigated how 20 Maltese students (mean age 12) adjusted their perceptions and acceptance of IVR when encountering it for the first time in formal STEM education. A quasi-experimental design was employed over six weeks, with data collected through pre- and post-intervention questionnaires. The analytical framework combined the Technological Frames of Reference (TFR) and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to capture perceptual snapshots and attitudinal shifts. While IVR initially stimulated enthusiasm, sustained exposure prompted critical reflections on its potential and limitations, particularly in relation to subject relevance, peer communication, and ease of use. Such deliberations are themselves suggestive indicators of reflective engagement. Rather than being demonstrated evidence of cognitive skill development, they are consistent with the early exercise of analytical and evaluative reasoning. These insights underscore the recursive dialog between technology-in-use and user contextualization, revealing how perceptions mature through experience. By examining how young learners engage with emergent technologies, this research highlights education’s role in cultivating adaptability, reflective judgment, and critical thinking capacities—central to innovative pedagogy and support for uncertain futures.

Transformation through decentralisation : learning, democracy and technological sovereignty

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Title: Transformation through decentralisation : learning, democracy and technological sovereignty Abstract: Taking inspiration from the Barcelona smart city, European Commission policy and prominent European universities and organisations, this paper argues that pedagogical strategies and technological infrastructure for citizen lifelong learning should be incorporated within a paradigm of the digitally sovereign individual, city and nation state. In support of the proposed European Union Single Market fifth freedom of knowledge, the author suggests that lifelong and lifewide learning are a crucial part of digital epistemic human rights for access to and interactions with digital knowledge as a digital public good that sustains democratic society. The right of the citizen to learn, share and contribute to information and knowledge is considered in relation to individual agency, autonomy and personal data sovereignty, within the idea of an authentic learning city. In this context there is a pressing need to adopt self-hosted, open source technical solutions for provision of information management and social channels that are supported by civically owned, decentralised and federated knowledge resources, open and freely accessible to all.