Educational Counselors' Attitudes Toward Utilizing Artificial Intelligence in Counseling and its Relationship with Perceived Self-Efficacy and Future Orientation in Palestine: A Proposed Supervisory Program

Abstract

The study aims to identify the attitudes of educational counselors toward the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in counseling and their relationship to perceived self-efficacy and future orientation in Palestine. The study adopts a descriptive correlational approach and Predictive approach. utilized three instruments to collect data: the Counselors’ Attitudes Toward the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Counseling Scale, the Perceived Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Future Orientation Scale. The study population consists of all educational counselors working in Palestinian public schools in the northern governorates, totaling 1,255, according to the Ministry of Education’s 2024/2025 statistics. The study sample included 294 male and female counselors. The results reveals that counselors’ attitudes toward the use of AI in counseling were high, with a mean score of 3.57 (71.4%), indicating a positive attitude and acceptance of integrating AI into the counseling field. The findings also show that the level of perceived self-efficacy among counselors was high, with a mean score of 4.16 (83.2%), while the level of future orientation was also high, with a mean of 3.81 (76.2%), reflecting an advanced level of future-directed thinking. Moreover, the study finds a positive correlation between counselors’ attitudes toward using AI in counseling and perceived self-efficacy, as well as a positive direct correlation between their attitudes toward AI use and their future orientation. The results also indicates a statistically significant effect (α ≤ 0.05) of both perceived self-efficacy and future orientation, which together explained 18.5% of the variance in counselors’ attitudes toward the use of AI in counseling. The study recommends implementing the proposed supervisory program, which aims to support counselors in effectively adopting and utilizing artificial intelligence in their professional practice.