{"title":"Science Teacher Perceptions of the State of Knowledge and Education at the Advent of Generative Artificial Intelligence Popularity","authors":"Salvatore G. Garofalo, Stephen J. Farenga","doi":"10.1007/s11191-024-00534-y","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>The purpose of this study was to gauge the attitudes towards artificial intelligence (AI) use in the science classroom by science teachers at the start of generative AI chatbot popularity (March 2023). The lens of distributed cognition afforded an opportunity to gather thoughts, opinions, and perceptions from 24 secondary science educators as well as three AI chatbots. Purposeful sampling was used to form the initial science educator focus groups, and both human and AI participants individually responded to an attitudes survey as well as an epistemic cognition questionnaire over a 2-week period. In addition to participating in the study, AI—specifically OpenAI’s ChatGPT—was used to create two of the three survey instruments and served as an analysis tool for the qualitative results of this mixed-methods study. Results from the qualitative data suggest that secondary science educators are cautiously optimistic about the inclusion of AI in the classroom; however, there is a need to modify teacher preparation to incorporate AI training. Further, ethical concerns were identified about plagiarism, knowledge generation, and what constitutes original thinking with AI use. A one-way ANOVA revealed that there was a significant effect of subject taught on attitudes towards AI in the classroom <i>p</i> < 0.05 level for the four conditions: <i>F</i>(3, 23) = 6.743, <i>p</i> = .002. The partial eta squared of 0.47 indicates a large effect size with practical significance. This study serves as an artifact of knowledge about knowledge at the beginning of a technological revolution.</p>","PeriodicalId":771,"journal":{"name":"Science & Education","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.1000,"publicationDate":"2024-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Science & Education","FirstCategoryId":"95","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-024-00534-y","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to gauge the attitudes towards artificial intelligence (AI) use in the science classroom by science teachers at the start of generative AI chatbot popularity (March 2023). The lens of distributed cognition afforded an opportunity to gather thoughts, opinions, and perceptions from 24 secondary science educators as well as three AI chatbots. Purposeful sampling was used to form the initial science educator focus groups, and both human and AI participants individually responded to an attitudes survey as well as an epistemic cognition questionnaire over a 2-week period. In addition to participating in the study, AI—specifically OpenAI’s ChatGPT—was used to create two of the three survey instruments and served as an analysis tool for the qualitative results of this mixed-methods study. Results from the qualitative data suggest that secondary science educators are cautiously optimistic about the inclusion of AI in the classroom; however, there is a need to modify teacher preparation to incorporate AI training. Further, ethical concerns were identified about plagiarism, knowledge generation, and what constitutes original thinking with AI use. A one-way ANOVA revealed that there was a significant effect of subject taught on attitudes towards AI in the classroom p < 0.05 level for the four conditions: F(3, 23) = 6.743, p = .002. The partial eta squared of 0.47 indicates a large effect size with practical significance. This study serves as an artifact of knowledge about knowledge at the beginning of a technological revolution.
期刊介绍:
Science Education publishes original articles on the latest issues and trends occurring internationally in science curriculum, instruction, learning, policy and preparation of science teachers with the aim to advance our knowledge of science education theory and practice. In addition to original articles, the journal features the following special sections: -Learning : consisting of theoretical and empirical research studies on learning of science. We invite manuscripts that investigate learning and its change and growth from various lenses, including psychological, social, cognitive, sociohistorical, and affective. Studies examining the relationship of learning to teaching, the science knowledge and practices, the learners themselves, and the contexts (social, political, physical, ideological, institutional, epistemological, and cultural) are similarly welcome. -Issues and Trends : consisting primarily of analytical, interpretive, or persuasive essays on current educational, social, or philosophical issues and trends relevant to the teaching of science. This special section particularly seeks to promote informed dialogues about current issues in science education, and carefully reasoned papers representing disparate viewpoints are welcomed. Manuscripts submitted for this section may be in the form of a position paper, a polemical piece, or a creative commentary. -Science Learning in Everyday Life : consisting of analytical, interpretative, or philosophical papers regarding learning science outside of the formal classroom. Papers should investigate experiences in settings such as community, home, the Internet, after school settings, museums, and other opportunities that develop science interest, knowledge or practices across the life span. Attention to issues and factors relating to equity in science learning are especially encouraged.. -Science Teacher Education [...]