Physical education and sport teacher candidates' productive artificial intelligence competence and 21st century skills: A mixed method research

The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between pre-service physical education and sport teachers' competency levels in the use of productive artificial intelligence (PUI) and 21st century teacher skills and to examine this relationship in depth in the context of pre-service teachers' experiences, perceptions and practices. The study was conducted with an explanatory sequential design from mixed method research approaches. The quantitative dimension of the study consisted of a total of 323 pre-service physical education and sports teachers studying at state and foundation universities in Istanbul. In the quantitative phase, data were collected through convenience sampling, one of the non-probability sampling types, based on the accessibility of the study group. In line with the results obtained from the analysis of quantitative data, participants representing remarkable extreme values were identified by using the outlier sampling method in the qualitative stage. In this context, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a total of 8 participants, 4 pre-service teachers with the highest score and 4 pre-service teachers with the lowest score in terms of productive artificial intelligence competency levels and 21st century teacher skills. Quantitative data were collected using the "Productive Artificial Intelligence Use Efficacy Scale" and the "Use of 21st Century Teaching Skills Scale"; independent sample t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), correlation analysis and post hoc tests were applied in the analysis process. Qualitative data were analyzed by content analysis method. According to the results of the study, pre-service teachers actively use generative artificial intelligence tools in areas such as instructional content production, presentation preparation and time management and have positive attitudes towards these tools. Quantitative data revealed a significant relationship between productive artificial intelligence competence and 21st century skills. Qualitative findings revealed that pre-service teachers used generative artificial intelligence tools effectively to develop skills such as critical thinking, digital literacy and collaboration. This shows that quantitative and qualitative findings are supportive of each other and that generative artificial intelligence tools can contribute to the professional development of pre-service teachers and the development of 21st century skills.