#1145: STEM Teachers’ Perspectives on Generative AI: A Social Media Content Analysis of Reddit Discussions

The rapid emergence of generative AI (GenAI) tools has sparked both optimism and skepticism among STEM educators. While prior research has examined teacher perceptions through surveys, interviews, and adoption frameworks, less is known about educators’ large-scale, spontaneous, and grassroots discourse. This study analyzes STEM teachers’ discussions about GenAI on Reddit to understand how teachers collectively construct perspectives on its classroom use. Using BERTopic for topic modeling and an adjusted Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) framework, we examined posts and comments from educator-focused subreddits. Results revealed nine dominant themes, highlighting tensions around academic integrity and ethical student use, alongside pragmatic uses such as lesson planning and grading support. Attitudes were the most frequently coded dimension, whereas perceived ease of use was less salient. These findings underscore teachers’ cautious stance toward GenAI, emphasizing the need for professional development, AI literacy, and policies that support critical and equitable integration.