Artificial Intelligence in Education: Motivational Focus of University Students

The purpose of this study is to examine the theoretical foundations and pedagogical practices of using artificial intelligence in the educational activities of university students, and to identify, analyze, and compare the motivational focus of using artificial intelligence in the education of students in technical and humanitarian fields. Materials and methods of research. 145 students from Kazan (Volga region) federal university participated in the research. 73 first-year students are studying at the Institute of Psychology and Education in the humanities, and 72 first-year students are studying at the Institute of Physics in the natural sciences. The following research methods were used in the course of this paper: systematization and theoretical analysis of pedagogical literature on the research problem; interview “How I see the advantages and disadvantages of using AI in educational activities”; questionnaire “Self-assessment of the level of students’ motivational focus on using AI in learning”; modified methodology for identifying the motives for studying the factors of attractiveness and negative attitude in students’ use of artificial intelligence in educational activities (V. Yadov, modified by N. Kuzmina and A. Rean). This method has been repeatedly used in pedagogical research affecting the problems of a professional school and has proven itself positively. The modified method “Studying the motives of students’ use of artificial intelligence in educational activities” (A. Rean, V. Yakunin) was used to identify the dominant motives. A comparative analysis of the results was also conducted, and the Student’s t-test was used for statistical data processing. The novelty of the study is due to the insufficient development of the problem of the motivational component of the use of artificial intelligence by students of higher educational institutions, the presented review of pedagogical literature on the use of artificial intelligence in education, the comparative analysis of approaches to defining and the role of artificial intelligence in educational activities, and the identified motives for the use of artificial intelligence by students of technical and humanitarian fields. Results. The article presents an analysis of scientific approaches to the theoretical justification and pedagogical practice of using artificial intelligence in the educational activities of university students. The practical significance of the study lies in the fact that the author’s questionnaire and modified methods can be practically used in pedagogical research. The article provides a quantitative analysis of the results of diagnosing the students’ motivational orientation towards using artificial intelligence in their educational activities. The obtained results are valuable both from a theoretical and practical perspective of using information technologies in the education of students in the humanities and technical fields. Conclusion. The analysis of the results obtained allowed us to draw conclusions about the comparability of the level of motivation of university students of the humanities and natural sciences to the use of artificial intelligence in education at this stage. It is necessary to carry out pedagogical work to inform students about AI technologies, improve the skills of using the advantages, and increase the level of awareness of the risks of unlimited use of artificial intelligence in education. Thus, the use of artificial intelligence should be auxiliary in nature. Students should approach its use with caution, combining its capabilities with their personal experience and knowledge, in order to maintain the quality of education and develop their skills. The results of the paper can be used by teachers and researchers in the field of innovative technologies in higher education to expand and deepen the content of various courses at universities, in particular the course on information technologies in education.