From Proficiency to Pedagogy: A Mixed-Methods Study of In-Service Teachers' TPACK-GenAI and the Mediating Role of Pedagogical Knowledge

Overview

Mohebi and ElSayary examine how in-service teachers build the knowledge needed to integrate generative AI into classroom practice, framed through TPACK-GenAI — an extension of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge for generative AI. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, they surveyed 325 in-service teachers across 26 countries and conducted in-depth interviews with seven teachers.

Key Findings

• Technological Knowledge (TK), Pedagogical Knowledge (PK), and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) were each significantly associated with teachers' overall TPACK-GenAI.
• Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK) serves as a key mediator, carrying part of the association between other knowledge components and teachers' TPACK-GenAI — consistent with the study's subtitle, the movement "from proficiency to pedagogy."
• Qualitative interviews illuminate how teachers translate GenAI proficiency into pedagogically sound classroom decisions, and where support is still needed.
• Findings reinforce that GenAI integration is a knowledge-and-pedagogy challenge, not merely a tool-access question.

Implications for Practice

• For professional development: PD should build the pedagogical uses of GenAI — not just tool proficiency — since pedagogical knowledge mediates integration.
• For teacher educators: TPACK-GenAI offers a framework for designing teacher-learning experiences that connect technical, content, and pedagogical knowledge.
• For school leaders: Supporting in-service teachers across diverse national contexts requires attention to the pedagogical reasoning behind GenAI use, not only technical training.

Connected Concepts

• TPACK
• Teacher AI Competency
• AI Literacy

Connected Articles

• AI TPACK Teacher Multi Agent Workflow — AI-TPACK in a multi-agent teacher workflow
• Edurev 100741 TPACK GenAI Review — TPACK-GenAI review
• Preschool Teachers AI Behavioral Intention 2026 — teacher behavioral intention to use AI (Duan et al. 2026)
• Preservice Teachers Responsible GenAI 2026 — pre-service teacher preparation for responsible GenAI use (Kohnke et al. 2026)

Citation

From proficiency to pedagogy: A mixed-methods study of in-service teachers' TPACK-GenAI and the mediating role of pedagogical knowledge — Mohebi, L., & ElSayary, A. (2026). Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 10, 100599.