THE CONTRIBUTION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO THE LEARNING AND TEACHING OF HISTORY IN SECONDARY EDUCATION

Vasileios Bazanis, Anna Bilali, Zafiria Karatziki, Apostolia Katsarou, Georgios Nikolaou

Abstract


This paper examines the contribution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to the learning and teaching of History in secondary education. The first part presents the theoretical framework and provides an extensive literature review on the applications, pedagogical benefits, and challenges of AI in the school environment. The second part provides a critical assessment of the international literature, with an emphasis on research gaps and the contribution of the present study. The research methodology is then described, and a case study of the application of an educational scenario in the second-grade classes of a secondary school is analysed. The scenario refers to the use of AI tools, and to how to create first-person historical narratives. Finally, the research findings are presented, and compared to international examples, highlighting the potential for the pedagogically sound, and creative integration of Information Technology (IT) in the teaching of History.

 

Article visualizations:

Hit counter


Keywords


artificial intelligence, secondary education, history

Full Text:

PDF

References


Acun, C., & Acun, R. (2023). GAI-enhanced assignment framework: A case study on generative AI powered history education. Proceedings of the Neur IPS’23 Workshop on Generative AI for Education (GAIED). Retrieved from https://gaied.org/neurips2023/files/48/48_paper.pdf

Akinwalere, S. N., & Ivanov, V. (2022). Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education: Challenges and Opportunities. Border Crossing, 12(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.33182/bc.v12i1.2015

Ayala-Pazmiño, M. (2023). Artificial intelligence in education: Exploring the potential benefits and risks. 593 Digital Publisher CEIT, 8(3), 892–899. https://doi.org/10.33386/593dp.2023.3.1827

Bender, E. M., & Friedman, B. (2018). Data Statements for Natural Language Processing: Toward Mitigating System Bias and Enabling Better Science. Transactions of the ACL, 6, 587–604. https://doi.org/10.1162/tacl_a_00041

Brookbanks, G. (2023). Teaching and learning of History at a high school level—the reality of AI/ChatGPT and the process of assessing understanding. Yesterday & Today, 29, 1–12. Retrieved from https://www.scielo.org.za/pdf/yt/n29/09.pdf

Rodríguez, A. C. (2023). Reinventing the teaching of early modern history in secondary school: The use of ChatGPT to enhance learning and educational innovation. Stud. Hist. Hist. Mod, 45, 101-145. https://doi.org/10.14201/shhmo2023451101146

Dede, C., Richards, J., & Saxberg, B. (2019). Learning engineering for online education: Theoretical contexts and design-based examples. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351186193

Gossard, J. M. (2024). Introduction: Teaching history in the time of generative AI. Teaching History: A Journal of Methods, 49(1), 3–4. https://doi.org/10.33043/5zbfza2bc

Grever, M., Haydn, T., & Lorenz, C. (2023). Chatting about the past with ChatGPT? An exploratory study of artificial intelligence as a tool in history education. Journal of Educational Media, Memory, and Society, 15(2), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.3167/jemms.2023.150201

He J. (2023). Analysis of the application of artificial intelligence in education and teaching. Advances in Educational Technology and Psychology, 7(2), 52-58. https://doi.org/10.23977/aetp.2023.070210

Hiltmann, T. (2023). Large Language Models as Hermeneutic Instruments in the Historical Sciences in Hermeneutics in Times of AI: De Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111351490-014

Kalaitzidis, G., & Trapezanidis, G. (2010). The effective teacher in the context of Vygotsky's theory. Scientific Step, (pp. 51-59). Retrieved from https://www.syllogosperiklis.gr/old/ep_bima/epistimoniko_bima_13/51e60.pdf

Kindenberg, B. (2024). ChatGPT-generated and student-written historical narratives: A comparative analysis. Education Sciences, 14(5), 530. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14050530

Kowalski, M., & Charchuła, J. (2024). Editorial: Education in the age of artificial intelligence. Horizons of Education, 23(65), 5–6. https://doi.org/10.35765/hw.2024.2365.01

Lee, S.-E. (2023). Otherwise, than teaching by artificial intelligence. Studies in Philosophy and Education, 42, 191–205. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/jope/article/57/2/553/7083943

LePoire, D.J., Sazhienko, E. (2025). AI and Big History: Unveiling Complexity Insights into Human Evolution and Future Scenarios. Journal of Big History, VIII (1); 71-82. https://doi.org/10.22339/jbh.v8i1.8110

Lamboudis, S., Siakas, S., & Korakakis, G. (2021). Advantages and disadvantages of the flipped classroom. In Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Informatics in Education – Informatics in Education (pp. 361–376). Retrieved from http://events.di.ionio.gr/cie/images/documents21/CIE2021_OnLineProceedings/31CIE2021_Lampo_Final_P%20361-376.pdf

Mierwald, M. (2024). Chatting about the past with artificial intelligence: A case study of pupils’ interaction with ChatGPT while completing a history-learning task. Journal of Educational Media, Memory, and Society, 16(2), 143–173. https://doi.org/10.3167/jemms.2024.160206

Nguyen, X.-H., Nguyen, H.-A., Cao, L., & Truong, H. (2023). ChatGPT’s understanding of history: A comparison to Vietnamese students and its potential in history education. https://osf.io/preprints/edarxiv/8z9tj_v1

Nikitina, I., & Ishchenko, T. (2023). ChatGPT in the paradigm of modern education. Scientific Journal of Polonia University, 61(6), 100–106. https://doi.org/10.23856/6112

Nikolaou, G. (2024, May). The work of Justinian through the words of Justinian – Utilizing AI tools in the teaching of history. Abstract at the International Scientific Conference: Language, Education, and Artificial Intelligence (pp. 158–159). University of Crete. https://le-ai.edc.uoc.gr/images/book_of_abstracts_LE-AI2024-final.pdf

Sheng, X. (2023). The role of artificial intelligence in history education of Chinese high schools. Journal of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, 8, 238–245. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/d70f/2ff03b5bbfddda316bbaf7f6725193d39761.pdf

Su, J.-H., & Yang, W.-P. (2023). Unlocking the power of ChatGPT: A framework for applying generative AI in education. ECNU Review of Education 6(3). Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20965311231168423

Taşar, D. E., & Taşar, C. O. (2023). Bridging history with AI: A comparative evaluation of GPT 3.5, GPT-4, and Google-BARD. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2305.07868

Tirado-Olivares, S., Navío-Inglés, M., O’Connor-Jiménez, P., & Cózar-Gutiérrez, R. (2023). From human to machine: Investigating the effectiveness of the conversational AI ChatGPT in historical thinking. Education Sciences, 13(8), 803. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13080803

Castaneda, A. U. (2022). Un viaje hacia la inteligencia artificial en la educación. Realidad y Reflexión, 22(56), 121–136. https://doi.org/10.5377/ryr.v1i56.15776

Wang, M. Q., & Guo, W. G. (2023). The potential impact of ChatGPT on education: Using history as a rearview mirror. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20965311231189826

Yin, R. K. (2009). Case study research: Design and methods (Vol. 5). Sage. Retrieved from https://books.google.ro/books/about/Case_Study_Research.html?id=FzawIAdilHkC&redir_esc=y

Zeng, H. (2024). Zeng, Y. (2024). HistoLens: An LLM-Powered Framework for Multi-Layered Analysis of Historical Texts--A Case Application of Yantie Lun. Sun Yat-sen University. arXiv https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2411.09978

Zhussupbayev, S., Nurgaliyeva, S., Shayakhmet, N., Otepova, G., Karimova, A., Matayev, B., & Bak, H. (2023). The effect of using computer assisted instruction method in history lessons on students' success and attitudes. International Journal of Education in Mathematics, Science, 11(2), 424-439. Technology (IJEMST) https://doi.org/10.46328/ijemst.3136

Mosaic portrait of Justinian I. (2023, September 23). In Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mosaic_of_Justinianus_I_-_Basilica_San_Vitale_(Ravenna).jpg

Huang, J (2023). Justinian I - Artificial Intelligence (AI) representation. Retrieved from https://www.artstation.com/artwork/klqJJA




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v12i12.6423

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2025 Vasileios Bazanis, Anna Bilali, Zafiria Karatziki, Apostolia Katsarou, Georgios Nikolaou

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Copyright © 2015-2026. European Journal of Education Studies (ISSN 2501 - 1111) is a registered trademark of Open Access Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

This journal is a serial publication uniquely identified by an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) serial number certificate issued by Romanian National Library (Biblioteca Nationala a Romaniei). All the research works are uniquely identified by a CrossRef DOI digital object identifier supplied by indexing and repository platforms. All authors who send their manuscripts to this journal and whose articles are published on this journal retain full copyright of their articles. All the research works published on this journal are meeting the Open Access Publishing requirements and can be freely accessed, shared, modified, distributed and used in educational, commercial and non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).