Research Article
Aminah Saad Aldossary, Alia Abdullah Aljindi, Jamilah Mohammed Alamri
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 4, Article No: ep536
ABSTRACT
Purpose: This study aims to provide an analysis of students’ perceptions of the role of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools in education, through five axes: (1) level of knowledge and awareness, (2) level of acceptance and readiness, (3) the role of GenAI in education, (4 (level of awareness of potential concerns and challenges, and (5) The impact of GenAI tools on achieving the sustainable development goals in education.
Materials and methods: The study followed a descriptive quantitative methodology based on surveying through a questionnaire. The sample consisted of 1390 students from 15 Saudi universities.
Results: The students have positive perceptions towards the role of GenAI tools in education, as students have a high level of awareness and acceptance of adopting these tools. In addition, students are highly aware of the role of GenAI tools in improving their understanding of complex concepts, developing skills, improving their self-efficacy, learning outcomes, providing feedback, and making learning meaningful. The results also confirm their general awareness of the concerns and challenges. A relationship exists between students’ perceptions of GenAI and their scientific specializations, as students in computer sciences showed greater awareness regarding concerns and challenges, whereas students in agricultural sciences showed greater awareness of the impact of GenAI tools on achieving sustainable development goals.
Conclusions: The study offers valuable insights on GenAI adoption in higher education, also there is an urgent need to consider developing appropriate use policies, spreading awareness, and creating systems capable of detecting unethical cases.
Keywords: artificial intelligence, ChatGPT, LLM, technology role, education filed, perceptions of Saudi students
Research Article
Ioannis Rizos, Evaggelos Foykas, Spiros V. Georgakopoulos
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 4, Article No: ep535
ABSTRACT
The rapid development of generative artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to have a profound impact on various aspects of human society, including mathematics education. Nevertheless, there is a noticeable lack of research, particularly in Greece, that focuses on the development and assessment of lesson plans and math worksheets tailored for students with special educational needs. To address this research gap, we designed and conducted a nine-hour teaching intervention in a general mathematics classroom in Greece, involving two 8th grade students with special educational needs as the subjects of the study. The intervention utilized worksheets generated by the ChatGPT 3.5 application, which were customized based on the current curriculum, as well as the special educational needs and interests of the two participating students. The data were collected through interviews, tasks, and e-questionnaires, and analyzed using a new theoretical framework based on the concept of mathematical familiarity. The results indicated that students were actively engaged in the educational process, felt safe and confident, satisfactorily met the learning objectives, and developed positive attitudes towards the mathematics course. The paper concludes with a list of good practices, teaching suggestions and restrictions that could be useful to teachers and education policy makers. The target audience for the current study is, mainly, mathematics teachers who serve at all levels of education and have students with special educational needs in their classrooms. Furthermore, the article may also prove of interest to students, parents and teachers who are interested in the interaction between mathematics education and generative AI.
Keywords: special educational needs, mathematical familiarity, math worksheets, ChatGPT, qualitative research
Research Article
Carmen Köhler, Johannes Hartig
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 4, Article No: ep528
ABSTRACT
Since ChatGPT-3.5 has been available to the public, the potentials and challenges regarding chatbot usage in education have been widely discussed. However, little evidence exists whether and for which purposes students even apply generative AI tools. The first main purpose of the present study was to develop and test scales that assess students’ (1) knowledge about ChatGPT, (2) actual ChatGPT usage and perceived value of use, and (3) attitude towards ChatGPT. Our second aim was to examine the intercorrelations between these scales, and to investigate differences (a) across five academic fields (i.e., human sciences, social sciences, teaching profession, health sciences, and law and economics) and (b) between stages of education (i.e., number of semesters). N = 693 students from various German universities participated in our online survey. Quality checks (Cronbach’s alpha, MacDonald’s omega, and confirmatory factor analyses) show satisfactory results for all scales. The scales all positively relate to each other, except for the knowledge and attitude scales. This means that more knowledge about ChatGPT is connected to a less favorable attitude regarding the generative AI tool. Lastly, MANOVA and subsequent Bonferroni corrected ANOVA tests show that ChatGPT is mostly used by law and economics students, and most frequently by students in the third year of higher education.
Keywords: ChatGPT in higher education, student knowledge, student use, student attitude, scale development, assessment, large language models (LLMs)
Research Article
Raúl Alberto Garcia Castro, Nikole Alexandra Mayta Cachicatari, Willian Máximo Bartesaghi Aste, Martín Pedro Llapa Medina
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 3, Article No: ep511
ABSTRACT
The introduction of ChatGPT into basic education is progressing rapidly, generating impacts that, in many cases, are unknown. Its impressive capability profiles it as a tool that will revolutionize teaching and learning processes, creating gaps that need to be understood and evaluated. The research aims to explore the advantages, disadvantages, and its impact on school tasks. It is an exploratory qualitative study; data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 110 participants from five schools in Tacna, Peru. The results reveal that ChatGPT provides information quickly and easily, with a variety of content and pedagogical strategies. Additionally, it serves for evaluation, knowledge consultation, and scheduling school tasks. Eight related disadvantages were identified: Easy access to information may encourage the habit of copying and pasting, fostering academic dependence that would affect the development of skills, such as inquiry, argumentation, analysis, and critical thinking. Also, students may misuse information, cheating on school tasks and affecting their quality and suitability, making them no longer useful for education, including synthesis, essays, monographs, organizers, summaries, and mathematical exercises.
Keywords: ChatGPT, advantages, disadvantages, school tasks, basic education
Review Article
Othman Abu Khurma, Fayrouz Albahti, Nagla Ali, Aiman Bustanji
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 2, Article No: ep503
ABSTRACT
This PRISMA-based literature review aims to assess and analyze the measurement of student engagement dimensions within AI ChatGPT interactions. The central question is how to effectively evaluate these dimensions using established methods and leverage insights to enhance AI ChatGPT’s capacity to foster student engagement. The systematic review of PRISMA methodology identifies 16 relevant peer-reviewed research. All relevant and eligible research according to PRISMA methodology are analyzed to comprehend the intricacies of student engagement in AI ChatGPT interactions. The synthesis of these findings unveils the current state of knowledge on AI ChatGPT’s influence on student engagement and uncovers opportunities for future research. This review underscores AI ChatGPT’s potential as an educational tool, offering personalized experiences that bolster student engagement and learning outcomes. The systematic review established that, even though using ChatGPT has many advantages such as enhancing student engagement and academic involvement and supporting inquiry-based learning. However, there are some negative aspects such as lacking empathy and human emotions, limited contextual understanding, increased technology dependence and possibility of Inaccurate or Biased Information. In summary, this PRISMA-based review contributes to understanding the measurement of student engagement within AI ChatGPT. It identifies best practices, laying the foundation for further research and development. By optimizing AI ChatGPT’s effectiveness, educators and developers can craft more engaging and tailored learning experiences, ultimately enhancing educational outcomes.
Keywords: artificial intelligence, ChatGPT, teaching, learning, student engagement
Research Article
Stavros Papakonstantinidis, Piotr Kwiatek, Filomachi Spathopoulou
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 2, Article No: ep495
ABSTRACT
This research investigates the perspectives of using artificial intelligence writing software (AIWS) in professional contexts, focusing on academic and non-academic writers. These two groups, while standing to gain increased productivity through the adoption of AIWS, also express concerns regarding the widespread implementation of this technology. Notably, artificial intelligence (AI) writing tech’s impact on content creation has been profound, with its swift grammatically accurate content generation. This adoption, however, remains controversial. The study employs a quantitative approach, combining technology acceptance model and new computer game attitude scale. This approach allows us to discern implications of using AI-powered writing tools while accounting for possible differences in different domains of use. Through a survey of 219 participants, spanning academia and business, the study explores attitudes and willingness to use AIWS. Findings yield insights into non-academic writers’ readiness and implications of AIWS adoption. Business, non-academic professionals view AIWS as a tool for efficiency and content quality, while writers in academic contexts express concerns about biases, manipulation, and job displacement. The study contributes to AIWS understanding, benefiting developers, educational institutions, and content creators, and elucidates differing attitudes and age dynamics between academics and professionals. The research underscores the multifaceted influence of AIWS, providing a foundation for future exploration in this emerging domain, as well as practical applications for industries and educational institutions.
Keywords: artificial intelligence, chatbots, ChatGPT, education, educational technologies
Review Article
Muhammad Imran, Norah Almusharraf
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 4, Article No: ep464
ABSTRACT
This study examines the role of ChatGPT as a writing assistant in academia through a systematic literature review of the 30 most relevant articles. Since its release in November 2022, ChatGPT has become the most debated topic among scholars and is also being used by many users from different fields. Many articles, reviews, blogs, and opinion essays have been published in which the potential role of ChatGPT as a writing assistant is discussed. For this systematic review, 550 articles published six months after ChatGPT’s release (December 2022 to May 2023) were collected based on specific keywords, and the final 30 most relevant articles were finalized through PRISMA flowchart. The analyzed literature identifies different opinions and scenarios associated with using ChatGPT as a writing assistant and how to interact with it. Findings show that artificial intelligence (AI) in education is a part of the ongoing development process, and its latest chatbot, ChatGPT is a part of it. Therefore, the education process, particularly academic writing, has both opportunities and challenges in adopting ChatGPT as a writing assistant. The need is to understand its role as an aid and facilitator for both the learners and instructors, as chatbots are relatively beneficial devices to facilitate, create ease and support the academic process. However, academia should revisit and update students’ and teachers’ training, policies, and assessment ways in writing courses for academic integrity and originality, like plagiarism issues, AI-generated assignments, online/home-based exams, and auto-correction challenges.
Keywords: AI in education, chatbots, ChatGPT as writing assistant, scientific writing, academic integrity
Research Article
Saif Alneyadi, Yousef Wardat
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 4, Article No: ep448
ABSTRACT
The study aimed to examine the influence of ChatGPT on the academic performance and learning perception of eleventh-grade students in a United Arab Emirates school in the field of electronic magnetism. The participants were randomly divided into two groups: an experimental group granted access to ChatGPT and a control group without access to ChatGPT. The research spanned four weeks, during which the experimental group was instructed to utilize ChatGPT whenever they required assistance with the course content. The study employed a mixed-methods design, collecting both quantitative and qualitative data to assess the impact of ChatGPT on student learning and perception. Quantitative data was gathered through pre-/post-test surveys, measuring participants’ course achievement and perception of learning with ChatGPT. Qualitative data was collected via open-ended survey questions, allowing participants to provide feedback and suggestions for improvement. The study revealed that ChatGPT had a positive influence on student achievement and perception of learning in the field of electronic magnetism. The experimental group displayed significant enhancements in their scores on the post-test measuring the impact of ChatGPT on student achievement, exhibiting higher mean scores across all subscales compared to the control group. Furthermore, both male and female participants acknowledged ChatGPT as a valuable learning tool, offering suggestions for enhancing its functionality. The study suggests that ChatGPT is an effective tool for enhancing student learning and achievement in specific academic domains. However, further research is needed to explore its generalizability to other contexts and disciplines, as well as to address potential challenges and limitations of ChatGPT use in education.
Keywords: ChatGPT, electronic magnetism, learning enhancement, natural language processing, student perception
Research Article
Philipp Bitzenbauer
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 3, Article No: ep430
ABSTRACT
Large language models, such as ChatGPT, have great potential to enhance learning and support teachers, but they must be used with care to tackle limitations and biases. This paper presents two easy-to-implement examples of how ChatGPT can be used in physics classrooms to foster critical thinking skills at the secondary school level. A pilot study (n=53) examining the implementation of these examples found that the intervention had a positive impact on students’ perceptions of ChatGPT, with an increase in agreement with statements related to its benefits and incorporation into their daily lives.
Keywords: ChatGPT, large language model, physics teaching, critical thinking
Review Article
Tufan Adiguzel, Mehmet Haldun Kaya, Fatih Kürşat Cansu
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 3, Article No: ep429
ABSTRACT
Artificial intelligence (AI) introduces new tools to the educational environment with the potential to transform conventional teaching and learning processes. This study offers a comprehensive overview of AI technologies, their potential applications in education, and the difficulties involved. Chatbots and related algorithms that can simulate human interactions and generate human-like text based on input from natural language are discussed. In addition to the advantages of cutting-edge chatbots like ChatGPT, their use in education raises important ethical and practical challenges. The authors aim to provide insightful information on how AI may be successfully incorporated into the educational setting to benefit teachers and students, while promoting responsible and ethical use.
Keywords: artificial intelligence, education, chatbots, ChatGPT, personalized learning
Research Article
Mohanad Halaweh
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 2, Article No: ep421
ABSTRACT
Since the launch of ChatGPT for public use, educators have expressed a variety of concerns about its integration into educational settings. This paper has been written to provide an in-depth examination of these issues and explore the potential use of ChatGPT in educational contexts. Specifically, it aims to (i) present an argument in favor of incorporating ChatGPT into education and (ii) provide educators with a set of strategies and techniques to ensure responsible and successful implementation of ChatGPT in teaching or research. By doing so, this paper aims to promote a more informed discussion around the use of ChatGPT in education.
Keywords: ChatGPT, artificial intelligence (AI), education, educational technologies