Abstract

With the rapid advancement of technology, generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has surged in popularity, notably among students, who have utilized the relatively new technology for assistance in their work in school. Its rise has significantly influenced education, providing students with new ways to enhance learning, research, and academic productivity. As AI-generated content becomes more accessible, students are increasingly exposed to its applications in academic tasks, from writing assistance to data analysis. However, concerns regarding academic integrity, critical thinking, and overreliance on AI-generated outputs continue to spark discussions about its responsible and ethical use. This study was conducted to explore and acquire a comprehensive understanding of the perspectives of senior high school students on generative artificial intelligence for academic purposes. This study utilized a qualitative research design, with semi-structured interviews as the method for data collection. The participants included five senior high school students, with each researcher interviewing one student. Three grade 12 and two grade 11 students participated in the study, who were chosen through non-probability purposive sampling. Consent was gathered for the interviews to be conducted, recorded, and transcribed. The participants were also asked to participate in follow-up interviews to collect additional data. During the interview, the respondents were asked a series of questions to answer, allowing them to discuss and explain their perspectives regarding the topic of the study. Following the interviews, the researchers transcribed the recordings and analyzed the data by classifying and categorizing them into codes, categories, and concepts. The study's findings reveal that (1) students often use GenAI for academic purposes such as generating ideas for schoolwork, information generation, proofreading, and grammar correction, (2) students have cited concerns with the proper and ethical use of GenAI, (3) when relied on too much, GenAI takes away the critical thinking and problem-solving skills of the students, (4) students prefer using traditional methods of learning rather than learning with GenAI, and (5) schools and teachers should guide students on proper GenAI use, so they can maximize its advantages while still using it properly and ethically.

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