This study examines teachers’ negative attitudes toward artificial intelligence (AI) in education, focusing on the role of digital literacy, demographic characteristics, and direct AI experience. Using a quantitative cross-sectional design, data were collected from 1110 Romanian pre-university teachers through a self-administered online questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis confirmed a two-dimensional structure of negative attitudes—Perceived AI Threat and Distrust in the Fairness and Ethics of AI—with good internal reliability (α = 0.93 and α = 0.62, respectively). Results indicated significant gender differences, with women reporting higher levels of perceived threat, while distrust in AI fairness showed no significant variation across gender, age, or teaching degree. Teachers in urban areas expressed greater skepticism toward AI ethics than those in rural settings. Higher levels of digital literacy were negatively correlated with both dimensions of negative attitudes, suggesting that digital competence mitigates technological anxiety. Moreover, frequent personal and professional use of AI predicted lower perceived threat levels, emphasizing the moderating role of experiential familiarity. These findings advance understanding of the psychosocial and cognitive factors shaping educators’ perceptions of AI and highlight the importance of AI literacy programs that integrate technical, ethical, and reflective components to foster informed and confident engagement with intelligent technologies.

The pandemic has led to significant changes in teaching environments, which may have affected teacher engagement and performance. The aim of the paper is to investigate the levels of work engagement (WE) and work performance (WP) during the pandemic among teachers in primary and lower secondary schools in Romania and to identify if the dimensions of these two concepts differ according to gender, age, residence, status, teaching degree, and course profile, filling a gap in the specialized literature regarding these variables in Romanian education. We conducted a survey between February and March 2022 on a sample of 1051 teachers using the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) and the Individual Work Performance Questionnaire (IWPQ 0.3). Teachers reported a high level of engagement and work performance, higher levels of WE being identified among female teachers and those teaching in rural areas. Younger teachers showed the lowest work engagement, despite their familiarity with the digital tools used during the COVID-19 pandemic. Interestingly, while gender and employment status did not have a significant impact on job performance, contextual performance was higher among tenured teaching staff and women. In addition, the profile of subjects taught significantly affected engagement and performance. The results of this research can contribute to a more dynamic and supportive educational system, ultimately leading to improved outcomes for teachers and students.