Quantum Literacy in Secondary Education: Teacher Readiness and Implications for Professional Development

Quantum Literacy in Secondary Education: Teacher Readiness and Implications for Professional Development | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Quantum Literacy in Secondary Education: Teacher Readiness and Implications for Professional Development Aspasia V. Oikonomou, Ilias K. Savvas This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8848872/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The rapid advancement of quantum technologies is moving quantum computing beyond research laboratories into broader educational contexts, creating new demands for secondary education. Developing quantum literacy requires targeted professional development, with educators acting as key mediators of complex scientific concepts. This study examines the readiness, attitudes, and engagement of 257 Greek secondary school teachers from diverse disciplinary backgrounds who participated in a 20-hour experiential seminar entitled “Introduction to Quantum Computing without Prerequisite Physics.” Using a structured post-intervention questionnaire, the study assessed teachers’ technological proficiency, attitudes toward quantum technologies, and overall seminar evaluation. Descriptive and multivariate analyses were employed to examine demographic influences, interrelationships among variables, and predictors of training satisfaction. The findings reveal broadly positive attitudes across all participant groups and high levels of satisfaction with the program. Technological proficiency and positive attitudes emerged as complementary, statistically significant predictors of seminar evaluation. Cluster analysis further identified a distinct profile of high-readiness educators, highlighting their potential role as early adopters of quantum literacy initiatives. Despite limitations related to self-reported data, the results provide empirical evidence that inquiry-based, gamified, and hands-on approaches can effectively support teachers’ conceptual understanding and instructional confidence without requiring advanced backgrounds in physics or mathematics. These findings underscore the critical role of targeted professional development in fostering inclusive quantum literacy and offer practical insights for designing scalable quantum education initiatives at the secondary level. Special Education Quantum Technologies Quantum Computing Quantum Literacy Teacher Training Professional Development Technological Proficiency Educational Technology Seminar Evaluation Full Text Additional Declarations The research protocol was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Thessaly (Dept. of Digital Systems) (Greece). The Research Ethics Committee of the Department of Digital Systems at the University of Thessaly granted its formal approval on October 10 2025 (Reference: Meeting No. 4/2025). All participants (secondary education teachers) provided their informed consent before participating in the anonymous survey, and no sensitive personal data were collected. The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8848872","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":590310833,"identity":"e8cce874-d25f-49ba-9447-5cb33287cff2","order_by":0,"name":"Aspasia V. Oikonomou","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Thessaly","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Aspasia","middleName":"V.","lastName":"Oikonomou","suffix":""},{"id":590310834,"identity":"1eb2abea-fef5-43f0-b446-95b93aabd013","order_by":1,"name":"Ilias K. 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