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ERIC Number: EJ1473056
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jun
Pages: 24
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1360-2357
EISSN: EISSN-1573-7608
Available Date: 2024-12-16
Young Children's Understanding of AI
Education and Information Technologies, v30 n8 p10207-10230 2025
AI has become integral to daily life. Teaching, learning, and research are no exception. However, most studies on education have approached AI as a technology and focused mostly on learning outcomes rather than understanding student engagement and sense-making of AI as a socio-cultural tool with impact on their daily lives. To address this gap in the knowledge base, we performed a qualitative case study to explore young children's conceptualization of AI not only as a technology but also as a tool utilised in their everyday lives. We collected data through semi-structured group interviews with eighteen children aged 11 to 12 and thematically analyzed the data through a combination of deductive and inductive coding techniques. The findings suggest that: a) children's conceptualizations of AI as a technology are grounded in their personal experiences; b) children have a socio-cultural approach to AI in which they experience and understand AI as first and foremost a supportive tool; and, c) children exhibit a high level of engagement with ethics of AI, showing a keen interest in the socio-cultural implications, particularly about AI applications with which they are familiar. Based on these findings and grounded within existing literature, we offer a set of recommendations for the design of engaging and personally relevant AI education curriculum materials for young children with critical AI literacy at the forefront.
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1University of Groningen, Groningen, Kingdom of the Netherlands