What research tells us about student usage patterns
In the previous step, you heard from a few school, college, university, and tech industry leaders about how they use AI and see it impacting education. In this step, you will hear more about student perspectives based on a number of research projects.
Findings from King’s research
In Week 1, you heard about a research project conducted at King’s College London where students described their perspectives and use of generative AI in their studies. Several other recently funded research projects from King’s College London offer higher level, valuable insights into how generative AI is being used in educational settings. These findings from surveys, structured discussions, and focus groups with students reveal some key themes.
Key theme 1: usage patterns defy initial assumptions
Studies reveal significant shifts in generative AI usage patterns among undergraduate students over time. At the beginning of their university journey, a staggering 75% of students reported rarely or never using generative AI. However, as the academic year progressed, this figure dramatically reversed, with 80% of students regularly engaging with generative AI tools. This increased engagement was accompanied by a rise in confidence, as students became more adept at using the various tools and designing effective prompts. This trend indicates that regular use of generative AI fosters greater literacy in this field.
In contrast, postgraduate students displayed a different pattern; a majority (80%) had prior experience with generative AI before starting their courses. These students overwhelmingly found AI tools beneficial for their studies and believed that these skills would be advantageous in their future careers. Despite these positive trends, a small group of students remained skeptical about the necessity of engaging with AI, even though they recognised that it is likely to play a significant role in their professional lives. There are many reasons why students may be unwilling or unable to use new technologies and trends towards majority use should not push us to assume uniform acceptance or skill.
Key theme 2: student behaviours show sophisticated understanding
Across various faculties, students demonstrated nuanced approaches to generative AI, reflecting a blend of enthusiasm and caution. Primarily, they used AI to aid in understanding complex concepts, summarising academic papers, preparing for exams, and supporting their research endeavors. While they recognised the benefits AI offered, students were quick to acknowledge its limitations:
- They emphasised that AI could not replace core academic skills such as understanding their subjects deeply, constructing well-supported arguments, and writing proficiently.
- Many students believed that generative AI often failed to fully grasp the context, background, and nuances of a topic, making it inadequate for critical evaluation. Therefore, they believed it could not replace the need to develop this essential skill.
- This cautious approach extended to concerns about over-reliance on AI, which they feared might hamper the development of their own academic abilities.
- Additionally, students were wary of the inaccuracies and biases inherent in generative AI.
- On a practical level, they identified the challenge of crafting effective prompts as a significant barrier to efficient AI use. However, this obstacle was mitigated through guided exposure to AI tools, which helped them navigate and utilise these technologies more effectively.
As we interrogate this data, it is wise to remember that the same journeys, similar discomforts and parallel issues will be happening amongst teacher and lecturer colleagues too.
Key theme 3: process versus product
A crucial distinction emerged in how some undergraduate students perceived the benefits of generative AI for essay writing. When considering the process of writing an essay, many students were sceptical about AI’s ability to perform certain tasks effectively, such as producing a well-researched argument or analysing core research papers, and acknowledged the importance of developing their own academic writing skills. However, when asked to think about the essay solely as an ‘end product’, many students believed that AI could generate an output that would earn them a mark of merit or above with minimal input.
This contradiction suggests a key focus area for educators: emphasising process-based assessment.
This approach highlights the importance of the writing process itself, rather than just the final product, and encourages students to develop critical academic skills. This argument has recently been put forward by educators from King’s College London and the London School of Economics, in their Manifesto for the essay in the age of AI, underscoring the need to balance the use of AI with the development of essential writing and analytical abilities.
Implications for educators
This information from students raises several points for educators to consider:
Integration over prohibition: evidence suggests the benefits of embedding AI literacy throughout the curriculum, rather than prohibiting its use.
Consistent exposure: regular, guided interaction with AI is more beneficial than sporadic use. This promotes understanding and responsible use of AI, equipping students with adaptable skills for both academic and professional contexts.
Assessment evolution: there is a need for process-oriented assessment strategies that consider AI’s role without compromising academic integrity. Collaboration with students could be crucial in advancing this initiative. Additionally, staff should clearly communicate the expected level of AI engagement for any given assessment.
Support focus: students need the most help with prompt engineering and evaluating AI outputs.
What about school pupil use?
The picture in schools is complicated by a number of factors, but some research from the National Literacy Trust reveals a dramatic surge in generative AI adoption among young people. Their data shows usage more than doubling from 37.1% in 2023 to 77.1% in 2024 among 13–18 year olds, with over 92% now aware of these tools. This rapid adoption introduces both opportunities and challenges in the educational environment. Students primarily use AI for homework help, creative writing and idea generation, with about 20% reporting they simply copy AI outputs directly.
Meanwhile, teachers’ responses reveal a stark divide—while nearly half have used AI for lesson planning and content creation, there’s significant concern about its impact on writing skills and critical thinking, particularly at the secondary level, where 45.1% of teachers express worry compared to 19.7% at primary level. The lack of institutional readiness is evident, with only 9.9% of schools having an AI use policy in place, despite over 75% of teachers requesting more training on effective AI integration. This gap between rapid student adoption and institutional preparedness creates a challenging environment for maintaining academic integrity while leveraging AI’s potential benefits.
Looking forward
This research, which echoes many of the themes in parallel research from across the world, suggests AI in education is evolving for many from a perceived threat to a potential equaliser, notably amongst those who may be marginalised by the conventional expectations of ways students need to engage with learning materials. Students are developing sophisticated approaches to generative AI use but need structured support to maximise benefits while maintaining academic integrity. It is a sad truth that at all levels of education, some students will sit somewhere on the ‘inappropriate’ continuum of integrity from cutting corners to outright, deliberate cheating. We must not let this reality lead us to assume ALL students are like this, though. The research shows that many of them are as worried about this potential as the staff working with them. Despite an apparent temptation, we should not let the advent of technological tools that may in time completely change the way we study, research, and write lead us to assume all students will be looking for shortcuts or advantage built on inappropriate use of technologies.
From individual institutional studies to broader educational research, consistent patterns are emerging that challenge initial assumptions about AI in education. The focus is shifting from prevention to integration, with emphasis on developing student agency in AI use while maintaining academic rigor.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to the King’s researchers who conducted and shared highlights from their research to help shape this step.
- James Ackroyd
- Kishan Desor
- James Findon
- Claire Heard
- Greg Knock
- Isabelle Miletich
- Karl Nightingale
- Barbara Piotrowska
- Ramin Raouf
- Pinsuda Srisontisuk
- Rebecca Upshire
- Sumeyra Yalcintas
Now that you have completed this step, you have read about some of the emerging themes across a range of research projects. In the next step, you will hear more about how AI is impacting the school sector in the UK.
Additional resources
Freeman J. Student Generative AI Survey 2025. HEPI number Policy Note 61. [Internet]. UK: Higher Education Policy Institute; 2025 Feb 26 [cited 2025 Apr 15]. Available from: https://www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/02/26/student-generative-ai-survey-2025/
You may like to look at the data and read the reports of the following two articles, which expand the perspectives to teens and young adults across the UK and US in two fascinating surveys. Alternatively, you can listen to an automated podcast generated via NotebookLM, which summarises the two articles.
Attewell S. Student perceptions of generative AI [Internet]. United Kingdom: JISC; 2023 Aug 15 [updated 2024 Jun 7; cited 2025 Mar 5]. Available from: https://www.jisc.ac.uk/reports/student-perceptions-of-generative-ai
Common Sense Media, Hopelab, Harvard Graduate School of Education Center for Digital Thriving. Teen and Young Adult Perspectives on Generative AI: Patterns of use, excitements, and concerns [Internet]. United States: Common Sense Media, Hopelab, Harvard Graduate School of Education Center for Digital Thriving; 2024 [cited 2025 Mar 5]. Available from: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/teen-and-young-adult-perspectives-on-generative-ai.pdf
Compton M, Notebook LLM. Teen and student perceptions [auto podcast on the Internet]. United Kingdom: Martin Compton; 2025 February [2025 Mar 5]. Available from: https://ugc.futurelearn.com/uploads/assets/da/26/da269d11-297f-4c33-b8f9-f5aec331dec2.mp3 Please note: While this is an impressive and potentially useful tool, you may notice a limitation around the 2-minute mark when the speakers exchange conversational roles.
References
- Picton I, Clark C. Children, young people and teachers’ use of generative AI to support literacy in 2024 [Internet]. United Kingdom: National Literacy Trust; 2024 Jun 25 [updated 2025 Feb 26; cited 2025 Mar 5]. Available from: https://literacytrust.org.uk/research-services/research-reports/children-young-people-and-teachers-use-of-generative-ai-to-support-literacy-in-2024/
Try it out
Let’s try a 5-4-3-2-1 reflection.
5 mins: Read the Manifesto for the essay in the age of AI that we referenced in this step.
Then apply these steps:
- Select 4 of the 10 elements of the manifesto that resonate most strongly with you.
- Make a note of 3 reasons you use long form written assessments in your context.
- Note down 2 barriers to changing assessments.
- Think of 1 change you can or will make to your written assessments.
Join the conversation
Is the essay dead?
The manifesto above argues that this is not the case, but many believe that long form writing is no longer a reliable way to assess students. What do you think?
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