Artificial intelligence-based tutoring programs promise something schools have long struggled to provide: personalized instruction for every student at a fraction of the cost of traditional 1-on-1 tutoring.
But for that promise to be fulfilled, students have to use the AI tools. New research suggests that may be much harder to achieve than schools assume.
In a paper describing the results of randomized controlled trials led by the Stanford SCALE Initiative, 355 students in grades 1 to 5 in two school districts were assigned either to use an AI literacy tutor independently or to use the same platform with support from a human tutor. In both, the goal was to improve reading achievement.
The human tutors encouraged students to participate, helped troubleshoot technology problems and established group norms, while building rapport and accountability. Their sessions followed a consistent structure: a brief check-in, time for students to work on the platform and final reflection. In the group with no human support, students were expected to work on the AI platform on their own. Each group was scheduled to use the tool twice a week for 30 minutes per session.
The clearest finding from the study was that all students, regardless of whether they received human support, used the AI tutor far less than intended. For example, almost half the children in the independent-use group did not use the AI tutor at all. Those who did use the platform spent just two to five minutes per week, on average.
Students using the AI tutor with human support spent only slightly more time using the tool, but the effects were small: an increase of just one minute a week in one of the districts and 4.4 more in the other.
There are a range of potential reasons for this low engagement, from students not finding the tool compelling to preferring to ask a teacher for help or needing more encouragement and accountability.
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