Date
4-29-2026
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)
Chair
Traci Eshelman
Keywords
artificial intelligence, AI literacy, higher education, critical thinking, generative artificial intelligence tools, pedagogy, self-determination theory, timesaving
Disciplines
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research
Recommended Citation
Fuller, Rebecca L., "Artificial Intelligence Use in Educator Pedagogy in Higher Education Institutes: A Phenomenological Qualitative Study" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 8280.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/8280
Abstract
The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological qualitative study was to discover the use of generative artificial intelligence tools in pedagogy as the lived experiences of educators at higher education institutions. The theory guiding this study was the self-determination theory by Ryan and Deci 2017. The central research question is: What are the lived experiences of educators in higher education who use GAI tools in their pedagogy? The participants were 10 educators, at least 25 years old, from four-year higher education institutions in the United States who had used GAI tools in their pedagogy in the last year. The methodology is a transcendental phenomenological qualitative design to understand the phenomenon of the use of generative artificial intelligence tools in pedagogy, as the lived experiences of educators in higher education institutions. The data were collected through interviews, focus groups, and surveys. The data analysis based on Moustakas (1994) achieved credibility and validity through triangulation of data, member checking, and peer debriefing. The data analysis consisted of coding the data and finding the five main themes: AI as a tool, student interactions with AI, concerns about AI use, the future workplace, and motivation to learn. The findings shared the perspective of higher education educators and how they were using AI tools in their pedagogy for both teaching and learning. The essence of the participants’ lived experiences is an urgency to learn how to integrate AI into their pedagogy, driven by their own self-determination to meet the needs of their students and prepare them for the workforce, while also struggling to keep up with the pace of AI technology with little to no formal training or policy.
