Design and Multi-Stakeholder Evaluation of the Perceived Pedagogical Value and Usability of an AI-Supported Educational Chatbot for Primary Education

Artificial intelligence is included in several parts of education, and it serves as an important tool for it. In this study, we present the initial design and pre-deployment formative evaluation of an AI-powered educational chatbot, called TouriBot, from the perspective of different stakeholders. TouriBot is part of a gamified learning environment created specifically for students in primary education (ages 9–12). The application is intended to support potential engagement with critical literacy-related tasks in the setting of misinformation. The evaluation involved three stakeholder groups, namely, in-service primary school Information and Communication Technology (ICT) teachers (N = 112), ICT educational advisors (N = 13) serving as institutional pedagogical experts and user experience (UX) experts (N = 8). No student data were collected in this evaluation phase. Structured questionnaires assessed perceived usability and pedagogical value as well as behavioral intention to use the tool. The results show that stakeholders evaluated the chatbot positively regarding usability, pedagogical alignment and stated intention to use. ICT teachers indicated high perceived usefulness and ease of use and strong intention to use the system in their teaching environments. The user interface perception-based assessments from the UX experts were mainly positive, and the ICT educational advisors highlighted the chatbot’s alignment with the intended pedagogical goals. However, TouriBot had limitations and drawbacks identified during this initial phase of the study. These stakeholder evaluations provide perception-based feedback that can inform further system refinement and guide student-centered evaluation in classroom settings.