Promoting Middle School Students’ Ethical Awareness of AI: Findings From a Cluster Randomized Trial

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 9:45 am - Gold 4
  In Roundtable Session: Innovating for Impact in K-12 Schools: Leveraging Technology to Enhance Engagement, Ethics, and Instructional Effectiveness

Abstract

Alongside the recognized affordances and positive effects of AI on K-12 education, ethical concerns have been raised. Leveraging an established framework of AI literacy, this study conducts a cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) involving 1,500 middle school students in urban China. This study aims to measure the effects of a school-based workshop on middle school students’ ethical awareness of AI. Preliminary findings from the school principal and students suggest a critical need for the implementation of such workshops. The findings aim to yield a robust measurement tool of AI ethics in the Chinese K-12 context, provide implications for school curriculum design, and inform broader integration of ethical principles into K-12 AI education.

Authors

• Tianyang Xu, Michigan State University

• Xuesen Cheng, Michigan State University