Research into artificial intelligence in schools is failing to address the needs of young people because scientists are too focused on the technology itself rather than its impact on learners.
A literature study by the University of Würzburg analysed 183 scientific publications to evaluate how AI advances education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
The analysis revealed that the current research landscape is primarily technology-centred, with 35 per cent of studies focusing on AI performance and 22 per cent on new tool development.
“Instead of examining the impact of AI on learners and teachers, most studies focus on the systems themselves,” said Alissa Fock, research assistant at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU).
Of the 139 empirical studies analysed, researchers examined only AI-generated content in around half the cases rather than observing its application with students or teachers.
The researchers argue that this technocentric approach pushes actual educational needs into the background and risks losing sight of the goal to develop young people’s entire personalities.
Technology tunnel vision
“This tunnel vision on technology leads to other central aspects of human development being neglected,” said Hans-Stefan Siller, Chair of Mathematics V at JMU. “So it’s about much more than just increasing cognitive performance.”
The analysis found that the promotion of non-cognitive skills such as motivation, self-confidence, critical thinking and ethical judgment is rarely investigated. Furthermore, topics such as bias in AI systems or data security play hardly any role in current research literature despite their importance in everyday school life.
Geographical imbalance also remains a significant issue, with 73 per cent of studies originating from the Global North and 30 per cent coming from the US alone, risking solutions that ignore cultural diversity.
To address these issues, the researchers propose a collaboration model where teachers use AI to delegate routine tasks whilst retaining authority over final content decisions to ensure pedagogical suitability.
