Artificial Intelligence (AI) Competency and Its Impact on 21st-Century Pedagogy Among History Trainee Teachers

Abstract

The rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies has brought about significant changes in the education sector, especially in how teaching and learning are conducted in the 21st century. Educators are now expected to integrate technology meaningfully into their pedagogical practices to enhance student engagement, critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity. History trainee teachers, in particular, are responsible for ensuring that historical content is delivered through innovative, student-centered, and technologically-supported strategies. However, there is limited research that specifically investigates the level of AI competence among history trainee teachers and how it relates to their implementation of 21st-century pedagogical practices.This study aims to explore three key objectives: (i) to assess the level of AI skills among history trainee teachers, (ii) to examine the level of their 21st-century pedagogical practices, and (iii) to analyze the relationship between AI skills and 21st-century pedagogy. The research was conducted using a quantitative approach with a structured questionnaire as the main data collection tool. A total of 50 history trainee teachers from Universiti Malaysia Sabah participated as respondents in the study. The results indicate that the trainee teachers possess a good level of AI competency. Moreover, they also demonstrated a good understanding and application of 21st-century teaching principles. Statistical analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between AI skills and the practice of 21st-century pedagogy. This means that trainee teachers with higher AI proficiency are more likely to adopt modern, effective, and technology enhanced teaching methods in their future classrooms.In conclusion, the study emphasizes the importance of embedding AI training into teacher education programs to ensure that future educators are equipped with the necessary digital competencies. Strengthening AI related knowledge and skills among trainee teachers can significantly improve their readiness to implement innovative pedagogical strategies aligned with 21st-century educational demands.