Between uncertainty and obligation: Pre-service teachers' experiences of AI anxiety in initial teacher education in Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract

In Punjab, Pakistan, artificial intelligence (AI) is fast gaining its way into educational settings, but pre-service teachers are largely left to manage this shift with minimal institutional guidance and much psychological anxiety. This paper examines the anxiety about AI among pre-service teachers who are enrolled in the Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes in Punjab and how the examined anxiety influences the professional identity and confidence of these teachers in their pedagogical practices. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 20 pre-service teachers based in the ITE institutions in Punjab. Data generation was aided by an AI-assisted transcription, and data organisation and management were assisted by NVivo 15 using AI-assisted coding. The analysis produced three themes, including the institutional void that increases uncertainty; anxiety posing a threat to professional identity; and the necessity to embrace AI without preparing it. The results demonstrate that AI anxiety among pre-service teachers is not only a technical issue but a highly relational, institutional experience, influenced by policy pressure and lack of curriculum, and a sense of professional competence fragmentation. The research paper is a contribution to the qualitative research on AI in teacher training and provides a practical implication on curriculum reform of ITE in Pakistan.