Exploring K-12 Physical Education Teachers' Perspectives on Opportunities and Challenges of AI Integration Through Ideation Workshops

2025-02-25

AI Summary

This study investigates K–12 physical education (PE) teachers’ practical perceptions of AI integration, focusing on perceived pedagogical potentials and implementation barriers. Method: Through a series of empathetic workshops with 17 in-service secondary PE teachers, the study employed qualitative methods—including guided brainstorming, scenario card sorting, collaborative diagramming, and thematic coding—to elicit and analyze contextual needs. Contribution/Results: It systematically identified core instructional demands—classroom management, personalized feedback, balanced group formation, and performance assessment—and proposed, for the first time, a four-dimensional AI role framework: “operational assistant,” “personal coach,” “team coach,” and “assessor.” Grounded in frontline educators’ perspectives, the study models AI adoption needs and reveals three critical constraints: data privacy concerns, ambiguity in human–AI decision boundaries, and deficits in teacher digital literacy. Findings yield an AI integration roadmap and actionable implementation guidelines, offering empirically grounded insights for AI tool developers, curriculum designers, and education policymakers to align AI applications with the pedagogical essence of physical education.

Technology Category

• Humans and AI: AI for Accessibility
• Intelligent Robots: Embodied AI
• Philosophy and Ethics of AI: Privacy & Security

Application Category

• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: User privacy protection in personalized systems
• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Applied ML and AI for Web-based mobile applications
• Security and Privacy: Security and privacy of machine learning and AI applications

Abstract

While AI's potential in education and professional sports is widely recognized, its application in K-12 physical education (PE) remains underexplored with significant opportunities for innovation. This study aims to address this gap by engaging 17 in-service secondary school PE teachers in group ideation workshops to explore potential AI applications and challenges in PE classes. Participants envisioned AI playing multidimensional roles, such as an operational assistant, personal trainer, group coach, and evaluator, as solutions to address unique instructional and operational challenges in K-12 PE classes. These roles reflected participants' perspectives on how AI could enhance class management, deliver personalized feedback, promote balanced team activities, and streamline performance assessments. Participants also highlighted critical considerations for AI integration, including the need to ensure robust student data security and privacy measures, minimize the risk of over-reliance on AI for instructional decisions, and accommodate the varying levels of technological proficiency among PE teachers. Our findings provide valuable insights and practical guidance for AI developers, educators, and policymakers, offering a foundation for the effective integration of AI into K-12 PE curricula to enhance teaching practices and student outcomes.

Problem

• AI integration in K-12 PE
• Challenges and opportunities
• Teacher perspectives and workshops

Innovation

• Group ideation workshops
• AI roles in PE
• Data security measures