Two surveys about Capital City High School’s opinions on AI language models received 113 responses in total, 92 from students and 21 from staff.
In the student survey, 3.3% of respondents stated that they used AI for most assignments; 56.5% infrequently used AI for assignments; and 40.2% of students never used AI for their schoolwork.
While on the surface these numbers may seem disconcerting considering the widespread panic about AI in schools, it is important to consider the possibility of nonresponse bias in this data. Students who frequently use AI may be less likely to consistently check their emails or respond to voluntary surveys.
56.5% of students and 42.9% of teachers reported that they do not frequently use AI.
Of the staff who do utilize it, 28.8% use it to help them plan lessons or design assignments, and 14.4% use it for communications. Students reported using AI for various reasons excluding schoolwork, including to generate or edit images, to organize their thoughts, or to gain a starting point for research.
The survey further found that 29.4% of students had a positive opinion of AI, 27.2% were unsure or neutral, and 43.5% had a negative view. Similarly, 28.6% of staff respondents felt positively about AI, while 19% felt neutrally and 52.4% felt negatively.
Despite the similarity in responses, 44.4%, a plurality of staff respondents, thought their opinions on AI were more negative than those of their students’. 54.3% of students felt that their opinions about AI were more negative than their peers’ opinions.
In the open response section, some sentiments shared by both students and staff were that students shouldn’t use AI if they haven’t learned their fundamentals; and that students who use AI in school will not be properly prepared for the workforce. Several responses expressed concern about AI’s effects on the environment, the job market, or literacy.
Many respondents took a pragmatic approach, pointing out that since AI is an unavoidable part of the world now, schools should teach students how to use AI tools responsibly.
However, as generative AI is so new, many of its effects, either positive or negative, remain difficult to discern, and we may have yet to find its most useful applications.
