THE PERCEPTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS ON THE CHATGPT POTENTIAL IN IMPROVING LEARNING OUTCOMES: A COMPARISON BETWEEN SLOVENIA AND LATVIA (BI-LV/25-27-001)
Head of the research group: doc. dr. Damijana Keržič
A conversational chatbot, ChatGPT, introduced in November 2022, was one of the first artificial intelligence technologies of its kind to be made public in an easily understandable manner, and consequently, it quickly grew in popularity among higher education students. Despite facing challenges that include copyright issues, bias, fairness, excessive reliance by students, and concerns over data privacy and security, there is a belief that ChatGPT will become an integral part of higher education. Consequently, some educational practitioners recommend engaging students with ChatGPT rather than prohibiting its use. Namely, ChatGPT offers numerous benefits, including real-time feedback and guidance to help students stay on track and overcome challenges. Additionally, it provides personalized support tailored to individual goals, potentially enhancing skill development and consequently improving learning outcomes. Therefore, a comprehensive examination across various higher education systems, including those in Slovenia and Latvia, is urgently needed. Consequently, the research will enhance understanding of ChatGPT challenges and opportunities in higher education.
The primary aim of this research is to examine student perceptions of ChatGPT acceptance in higher education and implications for learning outcomes from a comparative perspective between Slovenia and Latvia. The research will be based on survey data covering student perceptions of different aspects relevant to the challenges and opportunities related to ChatGPT acceptance in higher education. In this context, selected methodological approaches, such as t-test, ANOVA, regression analysis, factor analysis, and structural equation modeling, will be applied in order to ensure a comprehensive comparative analysis between Slovenia and Latvia. Therefore, the evidence-based findings will reveal current and possible future trends in higher education in both countries.
Duration (from/to):
from 1. 1. 2025 to 31. 12. 2026
Contracting Authority:
Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
Project Partner:
Riga Technical University
Financing:

Members of the research group:
doc. dr. Damijana Keržič (vodja)
Members of the research group in the partner country:
Evija Mirke
Objectives of bilateral cooperation activities
The bilateral cooperation activity aims to help strengthen the knowledge of policy makers in Slovenia and Latvia. In addition, the bilateral cooperation activity includes important elements of scalability, as the results will provide a framework for further empirical studies that are transferable to an international context. The added value of the cooperation between researchers from Slovenia and Latvia is the exchange of specific knowledge and experience.
The main objectives of the cooperation are:
1) to combine the theoretical and empirical perspectives of the presented research topic;
2) to establish a basis for future cooperation in research projects; and
3) to strengthen/include cooperation between young and experienced researchers.
All the researchers involved in this bilateral cooperation activity are experts in their fields. The proposed research will contribute to the general literature with new theoretical and empirical evidence in a systematic and comprehensive way. The empirical analysis will be embedded in an in-depth theoretical and methodological background. The results of this research will contribute to academic and practical knowledge and will help researchers and practitioners in the field to conduct research in theory and practice. Complementarity will be exercised by combining theoretical and empirical questions. In addition, the bilateral cooperation activity is a good opportunity to involve young researchers in international cooperation, as both partners involve selected young PhD students or postdoctoral researchers in the research work. Students from both institutions will also benefit as both leaders of the bilateral cooperation activity plan to present the main results of the research during their guest lectures at the partner institutions. Joint presentations at selected international conferences are foreseen. The outcome of the cooperation should also be visible in the form of scientific articles published in some highly indexed (ISI) journals.