Technology
Generative AI improves homework speed but lowers exam scores, research finds
A study tracking 27,000 students in China indicates that relying on AI tools boosts assignment grades while leading to a 20 percent decline in closed-book test results.
The short version
- A 30-month study of 27,000 Chinese students found that generative AI cut homework time by roughly 30 percent and lifted assignment scores by 18 percent, but resulted in a 20 percent drop in closed-book exam scores within six months.
- International surveys indicate widespread student adoption of AI for tasks ranging from research to outsourcing entire assignments.
- Educational researchers and the OECD warn that unstructured use of AI risks reducing productive cognitive effort, while schools navigate how to integrate the technology into curricula.
Key facts
- Researchers from Stockholm University and the University of Hong Kong followed approximately 27,000 secondary students aged 12 to 18 in China across nine subjects for 30 months.[Al Jazeera]
- Following the adoption of generative AI, students' average homework time fell from 64 minutes to 45 minutes and homework marks rose 18 percent, but scores on monthly exams without AI fell by 20 percent within six months.[Al Jazeera]
- The study also observed declining student performance in high-stakes entrance exams over longer observation periods.[Al Jazeera]
- An Ipsos survey of 7,000 European teenagers found that 56 percent used AI for research, 45 percent for explanations, and 31 percent to generate complete solutions to assigned tasks.[Al Jazeera]
- A survey of 1,054 UK undergraduates by HEPI and Kortext showed 49 percent believed AI improved their student experience, while 59 percent reported it had no impact on feelings of loneliness.[Al Jazeera]
What remains uncertain
- The degree to which structured pedagogical frameworks can mitigate learning losses from AI assistance remains under active investigation by researchers and international bodies like the OECD.[Al Jazeera]