BETWEEN INCLUSION AND INNOVATION: PRE-SERVICE SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS’ PEDAGOGICAL ATTITUDES AND PROFESSIONAL CO-AGENCY WITH GENERATIVE AI

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between inclusive education attitudes and professional co-agency with generative AI among pre-service special education teachers enrolled in the Italian TFA Sostegno program. Using the SACIE-R and the validated PAIR-S instrument, we conducted cluster analysis, Spearman correlations, hierarchical regressions, and bootstrap mediation analysis on a group of 451 participants. Four typological profiles emerged: Reflective Adopters, Disengaged, Frankenstein Complex, and Inclusive Non-Adopters. No significant correlation was found between inclusive orientation and AI co-agency, indicating that the two constructs operate independently. Age emerged as the strongest demographic predictor of AI adoption. Bootstrap testing of the hypothesized mediation revealed that Deprivation inhibits AI engagement when present, but is not activated by inclusive Concerns, disconfirming the proposed indirect mechanism. These findings challenge the assumption that inclusive values automatically transfer to AI engagement, providing a typological map for differentiated teacher education interventions.