Secondary School Students’ Awareness of Artificial Intelligence, Usage Trends, and Academic Achievement

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in today’s educational environments makes it important to examine students’ awareness of and usage trends regarding these technologies. In this context, the purpose of this study is to investigate whether middle school students’ awareness of and usage trends regarding artificial intelligence differ based on their academic achievement scores. Additionally, the study aims to investigate whether middle school students’ awareness and usage trends regarding artificial intelligence (AI) differ based on variables such as grade level, gender, and screen time. The study was conducted using the descriptive survey model, one of the quantitative research methods. The study population consisted of secondary school students enrolled in Niğde Province, while the sample comprised 704 secondary school students attending eight schools designated for the 2025–2026 academic year. The Artificial Intelligence Awareness and Usage Trends Scale was used as the data collection tool, and the obtained data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the Scheffe test. The research findings revealed that students’ AI awareness and usage trends differed significantly according to their academic achievement levels and grade levels. In particular, it was found that students with higher academic achievement and those in higher grades exhibited higher levels of AI awareness and usage trends. While a significant difference in favor of male students was found regarding the gender variable, no significant difference was found regarding screen time. In light of these findings, it is recommended that educational programs be developed to increase artificial intelligence awareness and conscious usage tendencies at the secondary education level.