Cross-Cultural Patterns in Artificial Intelligence Literacy Development: Investigating Country and Gender Differences Among Pre-Service Teachers in Germany and Türkiye

As artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly transforms educational landscapes worldwide, developing AI literacy among pre-service teachers has become increasingly crucial for effective classroom integration and responsible implementation. This comparative study examines AI literacy levels among pre-service teachers in Türkiye (Turkey officially changed its name to Türkiye in a 2022 letter to the UN, with the change taking immediate effect. See here) and Germany, addressing a critical gap in cross-cultural educational research. Using the Scale for the Assessment of Non-Experts' AI Literacy (SNAIL), we analysed data from 605 participants through correlation, ANOVA and MANOVA methods. Our findings reveal significant effects of both country and gender on AI literacy development, with German participants demonstrating higher overall literacy scores than their Turkish counterparts, particularly in critical appraisal and practical application dimensions. Conversely, Turkish participants exhibited stronger technical understanding. Across both countries, male participants consistently achieved higher AI literacy scores than females, though this gender gap was most pronounced in technical understanding. The country variable emerged as the more influential factor across all subdimensions. These results highlight the interplay between educational systems, cultural contexts and gender on AI literacy acquisition, offering valuable insights for teacher education programs seeking to prepare educators for increasingly AI-integrated learning environments.