The Effects of Supplementary Artificial Intelligence Courseware Use on Elementary Students’ Scientific Inquiry Skills and Scientific Communication Skills

Abstract

This study examined the effects of supplementary learning using artificial intelligence (AI) courseware, implemented in conjunction with regular elementary science instruction, on the scientific inquiry skills and scientific communication skills of students. The participants were 111 sixth-grade students from six classes in an elementary school in S City, who were assigned to an experimental group (three classes, 57 students) and a comparison group (three classes, 54 students). Both groups completed the same 32-lesson science curriculum over one semester. In addition to regular instruction, the experimental group participated in supplementary learning based on individual AI courseware for 20 min, 3 times a week, while the comparison group participated in supplementary learning using textbooks, experiment observation materials, and problem-solving worksheets for the same duration. The pre-test and post-test data were analyzed using analysis of covariance, with the pre-test scores treated as covariates. The results did not reveal statistically significant group differences in overall scientific inquiry skills. However, significant group differences were observed in specific subdomains of scientific communication skills, particularly in the explanatory purposes of “What” and “How” and in the numerical form of communication. These findings suggest that the effects of the use of additional AI courseware are limited and domain-specific. Although AI courseware may support numerical information processing and foundational explanatory communication skills, it appears insufficient to foster higher-order inquiry skills and more advanced forms of scientific communication without deliberate instructional mediation.