The Educational Social Contract in the Age of AI: A Rousseaunian Analysis of Teacher Attitudes and Student Protection in K-12 Schools

Abstract

This study explores the phenomenon of differential artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in K-12 education through the lens of Rousseau’s social contract theory, examining how educators navigate their professional responsibilities in an era of rapid technological change. Drawing from a comprehensive survey of 378 teachers across five Indian metropolitan areas, the research reveals a significant ‘protection gap’ where educators embrace AI for personal use (73.4% adoption) while maintaining cautious attitudes towards student integration (59.5% comfort level). Using Rousseau’s framework of the social contract and the ‘general will’, this analysis reframes teacher resistance not as technological conservatism but as fulfilment of their social contract with society to protect and nurture student development. The study finds that teachers’ concerns about critical thinking deterioration (66.4%) and technological over-dependence (60.2%) reflect their understanding of their role as guardians of the educational social contract. Through this philosophical lens, the research contributes a new framework for understanding educational technology adoption that recognises teachers as moral agents protecting the collective good while navigating individual technological freedoms. The findings suggest that successful AI integration requires renegotiating the educational social contract to balance innovation with protection, ultimately serving what Rousseau would term the ‘general will’ of educational communities.