Artificial Intelligence in Spanish Secondary Education: Reported Uses and Pedagogical Practices

Evidence on everyday uses of artificial intelligence (AI) in secondary education remains limited. This cross-sectional study examined teacher and student AI functions reported by 504 preservice teachers during school placements in Spain in 2025–2026. Each questionnaire summarized an entire placement and could cover multiple class groups. Within the categories assessed, instructional planning was the most frequently reported teacher function, while student functions centered on information management and content or task creation. Association analyses were restricted to 243 Year 4 compulsory secondary education reports (Educación Secundaria Obligatoria, ESO), where both AI items included an explicit “none of the above” option. Teacher and student AI functions were strongly associated within placement-stage reports, without establishing use in the same class or session. Teacher AI reporting was associated with digital content creation and publication resources, although the categories could overlap. No individual active methodology remained statistically significant after adjustment for multiple comparisons. The number of teacher AI functions showed a modest positive association with the number of methodologies reported in more than 25% of sessions. These findings describe contemporaneous associations between reported practices. They establish neither temporal order nor causality and do not demonstrate pedagogical transformation or improvements in student autonomy or learning.