Integrating Artificial Intelligence to Enhance Secondary Teachers' Mental Health Literacy and Student Support Capacity
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Abstract
Traditional, manual school-based mental health (SBMH) screening remains inadequate, necessitating the integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems to support educators. This study evaluated the baseline mental health literacy and self-efficacy of secondary teachers to establish the functional requirements for an AI-enhanced SBMH information system. Data from public school educators were gathered using the Mental Health Literacy Scale, a modified Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale, and a vignette-based diagnostic assessment. Quantitative and thematic analyses revealed moderately high self-efficacy in interpersonal communications, but exposed significant vulnerabilities in clinical recognition. Notably, while depression and anxiety were identified as the most prevalent student disorders, some educators misinterpreted severe clinical symptoms as typical adolescent behavior. These diagnostic inconsistencies and fragmented referral awareness highlight the critical limitations of ad-hoc human observation. The study concludes that standardizing SBMH requires the deployment of centralized, cloud-based referral networks and automated digital screening tools. Furthermore, institutions must implement comprehensive capacity-building programs targeting both mental health and digital literacy to successfully integrate predictive early warning architectures into modern educational environments....
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