Can AI-Assisted Inquiry Enhance Students' Decision-Making Skills in Socio-Scientific Issues? A Three-Group Experimental Study on Climate Change

A research study explored the impact of AI-assisted inquiry on secondary students' decision-making skills concerning socio-scientific issues, specifically climate change. The study aimed to determine if conversational AI deepens student reasoning or merely performs the thinking for them, comparing AI-assisted inquiry against traditional inquiry and conventional instruction.

Why it matters

This research addresses the evolving role of artificial intelligence in education and its potential to shape critical thinking skills in students. Understanding whether AI tools enhance or hinder cognitive development is crucial for designing effective educational strategies and integrating technology responsibly into learning environments.

Key insights

• The study investigated whether AI-assisted inquiry improves secondary students' decision-making about climate change.
• It employed a pretest-posttest experimental design across three distinct groups: AI-assisted inquiry, inquiry without AI, and traditional instruction.
• A total of 270 students participated in the study, with 90 students allocated to each of the three experimental groups.
• The research's primary objective was to assess the impact of these instructional methods on students' reasoning abilities.

Source

arXiv — Computers and Society — https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.28617