From AI Training to Teacher Retention: Building Sustainable Rural Education Systems

This study explores the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) training on rural teachers’ willingness to remain in their posts, with a focus on its role in improving job satisfaction and self-confidence to support the sustainable development of rural education. The study used an experimental and control group design with 400 rural teachers. Data were collected through questionnaires and analyzed with Structural Equation Modeling (SEM).The findings show that AI training significantly improved teachers’ teaching skills (M = 5.93, SD = 0.78) and self-confidence (M = 5.95, SD = 0.77), which in turn strengthened their professional commitment at psychological and emotional levels. Teachers in the experimental group reported a higher intention to stay than those in the control group (M = 6.26, SD = 0.81, Δ ≈ 0.34, p < 0.001). The effect of AI training on retention was largely mediated by improvements in teaching ability and job satisfaction. Social support and school culture also played important moderating roles in this process.In sum, AI training has a strong positive effect on rural teachers’ intention to stay, but long-term sustainability still depends on continued professional support and institutional safeguards.