Abstract
Introduction
Artificial intelligence (AI) literacy has emerged as an important competency for future educators, extending beyond the technical use of AI tools to encompass critical evaluation, ethical awareness, and an understanding of their broader societal implications. At the same time, growing environmental challenges have increased the importance of ecological footprint awareness in teacher education. Although both AI literacy and environmental awareness are increasingly emphasized within contemporary educational and sustainability frameworks, they have largely been examined as separate domains. Exploring their relationship may therefore provide insights into how digital and sustainability-oriented competencies can be addressed together in teacher education.
Methods
This study examined the relationship between AI literacy and ecological footprint awareness among pre-service teachers, with particular attention to the differential roles of AI literacy dimensions. A cross-sectional correlational survey design was employed with 378 pre-service teachers enrolled in faculties of education at four state universities in Türkiye. Data were collected using validated measures of AI literacy and ecological footprint awareness and analyzed through descriptive statistics, group comparisons, and Pearson correlation analyses.
Results
The findings indicated high overall levels of both AI literacy and ecological footprint awareness, although ecological footprint awareness was comparatively lower in the food and transportation/housing domains. Overall AI literacy was moderately and positively associated with ecological footprint awareness (r = .350,
p
p
Discussion
The study highlights the importance of conceptualizing AI literacy as more than technological proficiency within teacher education. Teacher education programmes may benefit from moving beyond predominantly tool-oriented AI training toward approaches that integrate ethical reasoning, critical evaluation, and sustainability education. Connecting AI-related competencies with environmental responsibility may contribute to preparing future teachers who can critically evaluate both the opportunities and broader consequences of emerging technologies.