TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN CHINA IN THE AGE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Abstract

Artificial intelligence is reshaping teachers’ professional work and the knowledge required for responsible teaching. In China, this change is unfolding alongside national policies on educational digitalization, teacher digital competence, and AI integration. Using a structured integrative review of academic research, Chinese policy documents, international frameworks, and published institutional cases, this article examines AI-era teacher professional development from an educational administration perspective. The synthesis indicates that effective development cannot be reduced to short-term tool training. Teachers need integrated AI literacy, subject-specific pedagogical and assessment judgment, ethical responsibility, critical verification, and professional agency. Chinese evidence also shows that readiness varies across roles and contexts and that professional learning is more meaningful when supported by organizational conditions, collaborative practice, and performance-based evidence. The article therefore proposes the ADAPT-AI Framework: Align educational purpose and policy; Diagnose teacher readiness; Activate collaborative, practice-based learning; Protect ethics, data, and agency; and Track evidence for continuous improvement. The framework translates national policy into locally responsive professional learning while reducing compliance-oriented implementation. It offers a practical architecture for Chinese schools, vocational colleges, and universities seeking to develop teachers who can use AI critically, pedagogically, and responsibly.