AI-Ready but Inclusion-Aware? Faculty Readiness to Use Artificial Intelligence for Inclusive Pedagogy in Philippine Higher Education Institutions

Abstract

This study examined faculty readiness to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) for inclusive pedagogy among faculty members across Philippine Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Anchored in the Technology Acceptance Model and the Universal Design for Learning framework, the study employed a descriptive-correlational-with-predictive design using a researcher-developed and validated survey instrument. Faculty readiness was operationalized across five dimensions: AI Literacy, Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, Attitude toward Inclusive Pedagogy, and Institutional Support, with Inclusive AI Teaching Readiness as the outcome variable. Results revealed that faculty demonstrated a high level of readiness across all dimensions, with Perceived Usefulness and Institutional Support ranked highest. No significant differences in inclusive AI teaching readiness were found across any of the demographic variables examined. The predictor dimensions did not significantly predict the outcome variable in hierarchical regression analyses, with Attitude toward Inclusive Pedagogy showing the strongest directional tendency among the predictors. These null predictive findings suggest that faculty across Philippine HEIs have reached a broadly shared plateau of declared readiness that has not yet translated into differentiated inclusive practice — a condition shaped by compressed score distributions and the complexity of the factors driving actual teaching behavior, which linear models alone cannot fully capture. Future studies employing structural equation modeling and mixed-methods approaches are recommended to more precisely illuminate these relationships. The study contributes evidence-based grounding for designing faculty development programs and shaping institutional and national policies that advance the integration of AI and inclusive education in Philippine higher education.