Artificial intelligence in personalized learning: Investigating teachers’ perspectives on AI-driven adaptive educational strategies to enhance student outcomes
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative innovation in education, enabling teachers to personalize instruction, improve student engagement, and enhance learning outcomes through adaptive educational strategies. As educational institutions increasingly integrate AI into classroom instruction, understanding teachers’ perspectives regarding its effectiveness and implementation has become essential in developing appropriate professional development initiatives and ensuring the responsible adoption of AI technologies. This study aimed to determine teachers’ perspectives on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven adaptive educational strategies in personalized learning within a public-school district in southern Arizona, USA, during the School Year 2025–2026. Specifically, it examined the respondents’ profile, the perceived effectiveness of AI-driven adaptive educational strategies, the effects of AI-aided teaching strategies on instruction, the relationships between AI strategies and teaching outcomes, and the challenges encountered in AI implementation. The findings served as the basis for the proposed Project AI-READY (Adaptive Instruction and Research-driven Educational Advancement for District Yield) Professional Development Program. The study employed a descriptive-correlational quantitative research design. A total of 60 general education teachers were selected through purposive sampling based on their experience and familiarity with AI-assisted instructional practices. Data were gathered using a researcher-made, validated questionnaire utilizing a five-point Likert scale. Descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, weighted mean, standard deviation, and rank, were used to describe the respondents and summarize their responses, while inferential statistics at the 0.05 level of significance were employed to determine the relationships among the variables. The findings revealed that most respondents were female, aged 41–50 years, had 16–20 years of teaching experience, were teaching Mathematics, and had attended one to two AI-related or educational technology training programs. Teachers perceived AI-driven adaptive educational strategies as Very Effective in enhancing student engagement, improving learning comprehension and retention, supporting classroom management and workload, promoting personalization and adaptive learning, increasing instructional efficiency, facilitating content creation, supporting AI-assisted learning, and fostering ethical AI use. Likewise, the overall effect of AI-aided teaching strategies on classroom instruction was interpreted as Very Effective. Correlation analysis further revealed statistically significant positive relationships between AI-driven adaptive educational strategies and teaching effectiveness, particularly in the areas of personalization, automation, and instructional content creation, while ethical AI use demonstrated comparatively weaker but still significant relationships. Despite these favorable findings, respondents identified several implementation challenges, with lack of training or knowledge in AI integration emerging as the most significant concern, followed by additional workload, limited technological infrastructure, student resistance, data privacy concerns, and limited institutional support. The study concludes that teachers generally hold positive perspectives toward the integration of AI-driven adaptive educational strategies and recognize their potential to enhance teaching effectiveness and student learning outcomes. However, the successful implementation of AI in education requires sustained professional development, adequate technological infrastructure, institutional support, and responsible AI governance. Based on the findings, the study proposed Project AI-READY (Adaptive Instruction and Research-driven Educational Advancement for District Yield), a comprehensive professional development program designed to strengthen teachers’ competencies in AI integration, promote ethical and responsible AI use, and improve both instructional practices and student learning outcomes.