The high dropout rates observed particularly in technical fields present a significant challenge not only within the academic sector but also in vocational training. A considerable number of learners who withdraw from electrical engineering programs do so as a result of encountering difficulties with the fundamentals of electrical engineering. These fundamentals are of an abstract nature and cannot be directly apprehended by the human senses, which presents a significant barrier to entry into electrical engineering for individual learners. One consequence is the formation and stabilization of (non-)helpful preconceptions, which are created by learners in the form of their own explanatory patterns for electrical engineering concepts within and outside the learning processes. These preconceptions are often only correct and helpful for certain special cases. However, if learners generalize these preconceptions or apply them to other special cases without reflection, they become incorrect and are therefore no longer helpful.

In particular, the non-helpful preconceptions represent an additional barrier to learning processes, and thus require conscious consideration within the teaching process. One method for reflecting on and subsequently reducing unhelpful preconceptions is for learners to make assumptions about a problem, verify these assumptions using measurement and/or simulation, and reflect on the differences between the assumptions and the measurement or simulation results. This is particularly feasible in action-oriented lessons, which are based on the active engagement of learners with the individual topics and represent an obligatory teaching concept in German vocational schools.

The action orientation provides the opportunity for internal differentiation of the learning group, as well as certain degrees of freedom for the learners, which are important determinants of this concept. These determinants present considerable challenges for the teacher, particularly in classes of 25-32 pupils, where providing individual support for autonomous learners necessitates significant effort. It is essential to identify the specific support needs of each learner and prepare appropriate materials. Teachers may utilize artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist in this process, but the primary responsibility for planning and implementing learning and teaching processes remains with the teachers.

This paper addresses the research question of how AI tools can be utilized to provide assistance to teachers. To respond to this question, an explanation will be presented regarding the framework conditions (electrotechnical preconcepts, action-oriented teaching). Subsequently, the potential applications of AI in the diagnosis of preconceptions, the planning and implementation of learning-teaching arrangements, the individualization of learning materials, and the creation of tests for performance assessment will be discussed. These approaches will be validated through the consultation of AI tools, which will provide individual design suggestions for lessons based on selected preconditions. The aforementioned suggestions will be analyzed and evaluated from a subject-specific didactic perspective. Furthermore, this paper will present the potential applications and constraints of AI in vocational education. This can be viewed as a foundation for further research, as well as a contribution to the subject-specific didactic discourse.

Keywords: Fundamentals of electrical engineering, Constructivist Didactics of Electrical Engineering (cDoEE), preconceptions, misconceptions.