STRATEGIES FOR PROMOTING INTEGRATION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN THE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF PHYSICS IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KOGI EAST

Abstract

The inclusion of technology in science education curriculum has the potential in transforming pedagogical practices worldwide, prioritizing unprecedented opportunities for interactive and engaging learning experiences. Therefore, this study was designed to assess strategies for promoting integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the teaching and learning of Physics in secondary schools. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. The population of the study comprised all the 460 Physics teachers and 11,370 Physics students in the public secondary schools in Kogi East. The sample size for the study consisted of 46 (10% of 460) Physics teachers and 1,137 (10% of 11,370 students), making a total of 1,183 respondents. The study was guided by one research question. One hypothesis was formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The instrument used for data collection was a structured questionnaire titled "Strategies for Promoting Integrating Artificial Intelligence" (SPIAI), which was developed by the researchers and validated by experts. The internal consistency of SPIAI using Cronbach Alpha method yielded 0.81. Responses were sorted out using a four-point Likert scale of Strongly Agree = 4 points, Agree = 3 points, Disagree = 2 points and Strongly Disagree = 1 point for positive items and reversed for negatives items. A benchmark of 2.50 was set as the decision for strategy that promotes integration of AI in the teaching and learning of Physics in secondary schools in Kogi State. The responses of both the teachers and students were analyzed using mean and standard deviations to address the research question, while t-test was employed to test the hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. Findings from the study revealed no significant difference between responses mean scores teachers and students considered as strategies for promoting integration of Artificial Intelligence in the teaching and learning of Physics in secondary schools. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended among others that secondary school Physics curriculum should be reviewed in order to include Artificial Intelligence into the curriculum contents.