Questionnaire on Attitudes of Religious Education Teachers in Poland and Germany towards Generative Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

The development of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is currently one of the strongest factors driving transformation in education. Particularly significant challenges are associated with its application in religious education (RE), which emphasises not only the transfer of knowledge, but also the development of a value system, the critical shaping of worldviews and even religious faith. The exploratory comparative quantitative study presented in this article analyses the attitudes of Catholic religious education teachers (RE teachers) at primary and secondary schools towards GenAI in two European, but different countries – Germany and Poland. In total, 236 questionnaires completed by teachers of RE in both countries were processed: 102 from Germany and 134 from Poland. The analysis of the results was based on a triadic model of attitudes, including cognitive, affective and behavioural components. The results show that although positive attitudes towards GenAI dominate in both countries, they manifest themselves differently in Poland and Germany. The differences concern, among other things, the level of competence, emotional attitude and readiness to use new tools in practice. Particularly interesting were the discrepancies related to ethical concerns and the perception of GenAI's potential to support students' spiritual development. The study confirms the great potential of new technologies in RE, while also pointing to significant barriers and the need for differentiated implementation strategies tailored to the cultural and systemic specificities of each country.