Grounding AI-in-Education Development in Teachers' Voices: Findings from a National Survey in Indonesia

Abstract

Despite emerging use in Indonesian classrooms, there is limited large-scale, teacher-centred evidence on how AI is used in practice and what support teachers need, hindering the development of context-appropriate AI systems and policies. To address this gap, we conduct a nationwide survey of 349 K-12 teachers across elementary, junior high, and senior high schools. We find increasing use of AI for pedagogy, content development, and teaching media, although adoption remains uneven. Elementary teachers report more consistent use, while senior high teachers engage less; mid-career teachers assign higher importance to AI, and teachers in Eastern Indonesia perceive greater value. Across levels, teachers primarily use AI to reduce instructional preparation workload (e.g., assessment, lesson planning, and material development). However, generic outputs, infrastructure constraints, and limited contextual alignment continue to hinder effective classroom integration.