AI Literacy Among Basic-School Teachers in Ghana — University of Cape Coast Study

Researchers at the University of Cape Coast's College of Distance Education, led by Valentina Arkorful, conducted a cross-sectional survey of 319 basic-school teachers in Ghana to assess their AI literacy, using a confirmatory-factor-analysis-validated scale spanning four dimensions: knowledge and understanding of AI, application of AI, evaluation of AI application, and AI ethics. The study was published in Discover Education (Springer Nature) in December 2025.

The study aimed to establish a baseline measure of Ghanaian basic-school teachers' AI literacy across the four dimensions and to test for gender differences in literacy levels.

Teachers self-reported their AI literacy on the validated scale; the research team analysed results using descriptive statistics and a one-way MANOVA to test for gender differences, and used structural analysis to examine relationships between the four literacy dimensions.

Mean scores were moderate and similar across all four dimensions (2.93 for knowledge, 2.92 for application, 2.92 for evaluation, 2.91 for ethics, each out of 5, with standard deviations around 1.1–1.2). The MANOVA found statistically significant gender differences, with male teachers scoring higher, most markedly in practical AI application; structural analysis showed AI application positively influenced evaluation and ethics literacy, but knowledge did not significantly predict evaluation skill, and ethics literacy did not significantly predict foundational knowledge.

This is a diagnostic baseline study rather than an evaluation of an implemented training intervention: it identifies a specific, statistically significant gender gap and distinct (non-transferring) literacy competencies for policymakers to target, but it does not itself deliver or measure a remedy. The authors recommend targeted interventions to close the gender gap and note implications for teacher-training curricula.