Redefining Technology in Rural STEM: School Leaders’ Perspectives on AI

Abstract

The rapid integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into primary and secondary education necessitates a re-evaluation of Technology Education, specifically how the Technology component within STEM is conceptualized and led in schools. While AI offers transformative potential, its integration in rural contexts faces unique boundaries ranging from infrastructure deficits to pedagogical gaps. In rural Pingtung County, Taiwan, this integration faces unique challenges, including infrastructure deficits and pedagogical gaps.

This study shifts focus from classroom practitioners to the strategic gatekeepers of curriculum innovation, school principals. It investigates how rural school leaders perceive AI not merely as a tool but as a core knowledge area within modern Technology Education and assesses their readiness to lead this transformation. This study employs a convergent mixed-methods design involving six school principals. Qualitative data from focus group interviews were analyzed using deductive thematic analysis supported by AI-assisted coding, while quantitative data from the Intelligent TPACK survey provided a triangulation profile.

The findings reveal that rural principals conceptualize Technology in STEM through three key dimensions: evaluative literacy, AI-enabled praxis, and ethical stewardship. Rather than emphasizing technical proficiency, leaders prioritized the ability to verify AI outputs using disciplinary knowledge. Furthermore, AI was viewed as a boundary spanner capable of mitigating rural resource deficits by acting as a virtual colleague for isolated teachers.

However, ethical concerns regarding the digital parenting void and the preservation of human-centric social-emotional learning dominated the leadership discourse. The study contributes to the field by defining a leadership-centric model of Intelligent TPACK, suggesting that for rural principals, effective technology leadership is less about operational fluency and more about critical evaluation and ethical responsibility.