Journal article
Student conceptions of generative artificial intelligence in early adolescence
Education and Information Technologies , Vol.Advanced access
03-Jul-2026
Abstract
This research combined critical discourse analysis (CDA), concordance analysis and thematic analysis to understand early adolescent students’ conceptions of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). The rapid rise of GenAI has raised new questions for learning in all levels of education, given the capacity of ChatGPT and other GenAI applications (Gemini, Dall-E, MS Co-Pilot) to instantly produce text and images. The study analysed how GenAI was discursively conceptualised by early adolescents (Grades 7–8, ages 11–13 years) who were familiar with ChatGPT, while participating in qualitative focus groups in a secondary school. The focus group data was iteratively coded using thematic and concordance analysis identifying four repeated themes in the students’ discourse: (i) GenAI is easy to use, downplaying the revolutionary progress, (ii) GenAI and power: machine versus human responsibility, (iii) GenAI and epistemology: what machines and humans know, and (iv) GenAI and ontology: what is actual or real. CDA was also used to interpret students’ discursive construction of GenAI. The study provides insights into adolescent perspectives of the complexities of GenAI in their own terms. The findings are significant given the paucity of research that applies discursive analyses or concordance analysis to student conceptions of GenAI, and the increasing and inevitable influence of GenAI in everyday life.
Details
- Title
- Student conceptions of generative artificial intelligence in early adolescence
- Authors
- Renee Morrison (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine CoastKathy A Mills - Australian Catholic University
- Publication details
- Education and Information Technologies , Vol.Advanced access
- Publisher
- Springer New York LLC
- DOI
- 10.1007/s10639-026-14065-2
- ISSN
- 1573-7608
- Copyright note
- This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
- Data Availability
- The anonymised data and analyses that support the findings of this study are not publicly available, but may be provided privately upon request in line with the ethical approvals obtained.
- Organisation Unit
- Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre; School of Education and Tertiary Access
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991243599802621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
1 Record Views