Readiness of Teacher Educators to Adopt Artificial Intelligence in Teaching and Learning: A Narrative Integrative Review

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly influencing teaching, learning, assessment and professional development in higher education. Teacher educators occupy a significant position in this transformation because they prepare prospective teachers to respond to changing educational practices and technological demands. However, the successful integration of AI into teacher education requires more than access to digital tools. It depends on educators’ technological knowledge, pedagogical competence, ethical awareness, professional confidence and institutional support. This paper examines the readiness of teacher educators to adopt AI in teaching and learning through a narrative integrative review of selected scholarly literature and international policy frameworks. The review draws on research concerning AI in education, generative AI, technological pedagogical knowledge and teacher professional development, alongside UNESCO’s guidance and competency framework. The synthesis is organised around five dimensions of readiness: technological and AI literacy, pedagogical integration, ethical and responsible use, professional learning, and institutional preparedness. The review highlights the importance of continuous professional development, supportive institutional policies, critical evaluation of AI-generated content and the preservation of teacher agency. It proposes a multidimensional conceptual framework for understanding teacher educators’ readiness and identifies priorities for future empirical research, particularly in diverse and resource-constrained teacher education contexts. The paper concludes that meaningful AI adoption requires a human-centred, pedagogically informed and institutionally supported approach.