The Paradoxical Effect of Administrative Support: Differential Effects of Support Types on Technostress and Technophobia Among Kindergarten Teachers in AI Implementation

Xiaoyu Huang

doi:10.70088/xf3pcq35

Authors

Xiaoyu Huang Huangpu Xinzhi Kindergarten, Guangzhou, China Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70088/xf3pcq35

Keywords:

administrative support, collegial support, technostress, technophobia, kindergarten teachers, artificial intelligence

Abstract

As artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are increasingly integrated into early childhood education, understanding the psychosocial dynamics among kindergarten teachers becomes essential. Grounded in Conservation of Resources Theory (COR) and Self-Determination Theory (SDT), this study systematically examines the differential predictive effects of administrative support and collegial support on technostress and three dimensions of technophobia—technology anxiety, avoidance coping, and cognitive resistance—among kindergarten teachers during AI implementation. Employing multiple regression analysis and Bootstrap mediation effect tests, the study analyzed empirical data collected from 685 kindergarten teachers across Guangdong, Guangxi, and Chongqing provinces in China, achieving an effective recovery rate of 81.9%. The findings reveal several key patterns. First, administrative support exhibits significant positive predictive effects on technostress (β = .159, p = .001), technology anxiety (β = .147, p = .001), and avoidance coping (β = .200, p < .001), demonstrating a clear paradoxical effect that warrants careful attention from educational policymakers. Second, collegial support exerts significant negative predictive effects on technostress (β = −.103, p = .045), technology anxiety (β = −.114, p = .025), and avoidance coping (β = −.127, p = .011), indicating a protective role. Third, neither support type significantly predicts cognitive resistance. Fourth, Bootstrap mediation analysis confirms that technostress fully mediates the positive predictive effect of administrative support on technophobia (indirect effect = .117, BC 95% CI [.038, .195]), while the indirect path through collegial support remains non-significant (indirect effect = −.089, BC 95% CI [−.197, .008]). These findings underscore fundamentally distinct mechanisms underlying the two support types and provide evidence-based guidance for kindergarten administrators to optimize AI implementation support strategies.

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