Perspectivas docentes sobre el uso de la inteligencia artificial como mediadora del pensamiento crítico en la educación básica

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging today as a promising tool to innovate education. However, its ability to cultivate critical thinking in elementary classrooms is conditioned, to a large extent, by the ways in which teachers perceive and incorporate it. This study examines those teachers' conceptions, asking whether they interpret AI as an ally, an obstacle, or a neutral resource for critical reasoning in school. A sequential mixed-method design was used: first a questionnaire was administered to 68 teachers in educational district 13D02 (Manta, Montecristi and Jaramijó) and then an in-depth interview was conducted with 10 of them purposively selected. Although 76% adopted a favorable attitude towards the tool, only 58% use it systematically in class. Almost all of them recognize structural barriers (54%) and, at the same time, point out potentialities and tensions between automation and critical judgment. The reports revealed methodological insecurity, isolated pilots and an insistent demand for specialized training. What was learned suggests that AI will mediate critical thinking if it is aligned with reflective pedagogies, continuous training and an institutional climate that promotes its contextual and critical use.