ChatGPT in physics education: A pilot study on easy-to-implement activities

Abstract

Large language models, such as ChatGPT, have great potential to enhance learning and support teachers, but they must be used with care to tackle limitations and biases. This paper presents two easy-to-implement examples of how ChatGPT can be used in physics classrooms to foster critical thinking skills at the secondary school level. A pilot study (n=53) examining the implementation of these examples found that the intervention had a positive impact on students’ perceptions of ChatGPT, with an increase in agreement with statements related to its benefits and incorporation into their daily lives.

What are the perceptions of physics teachers in Brazil about ChatGPT in school activities?

“…Can it enhance their understanding and problemsolving skills? Recent investigations in physics education research have indicated the need for a better and more detailed understanding of the potentialities and limitations of ChatGPT in different contexts [3], [4], [5]. In comparative studies such as [6], it was shown that ChatGPT version 3.5 can match or exceed the median performance of a student who has completed one semester of college physics, or in the case of [7], which delved into ChatGPT's performance through representative assessment content of a calculus-based physics course, and when evaluated the responses using the same criteria applied to human responses, it was concluded that large language model chatbots like ChatGPT, would narrowly pass this course while exhibiting many of the preconceptions and errors of a beginning learner.…”

Physics language and language use in physics—What do we know and how AI might enhance language-related research and instruction

“…In particular, natural language processing (NLP), alongside algorithmic modelling such as machine learning (ML) [23][24][25][26] in the context of AI-based research in recent years provide promising means to advance systematic analysis of physics language and language use in physics [27]. The last few years have seen an unprecedented rise of so-called large language models (LLMs) that combine NLP and ML [26], also in physics education research [28][29][30][31][32][33]. Among others, LLMs were found to successfully solve open-ended and closed-form physics problems [33,34].…”

Leveraging ChatGPT for Enhancing Critical Thinking Skills

“…15,22−24 Recent literature provides an increasingly large volume of studies on the application of AI and LLMs in higher education and the critical evaluation of the reliability and quality of ChatGPT outputs in that context. 16,23,25 Due to the diverse takes that exist on critical thinking, there is currently no unanimously accepted, single definition of critical thinking. 10,26−28 Thus, many sources describe it with wide-ranging qualities to posit that critical thinking is a multifaceted construct that encompasses various skills, which includes reflection, reasoning, communication, 29 the evaluation of arguments, assumptions, 30 chemistry-related argumentation, 10 conceptualization and synthesis of information, 26,31 and the capability to conduct comprehensive literature reviews for the purpose of identifying pertinent references.…”

“…It can be fine-tuned for specific tasks including translation, summarization, answering, and chatting. 12,15,16 While AI and LLMs are extensively used in industry, their implementation in education, especially secondary education and research, is still in its early stages. 11,16−19 Proposed educational uses include enhancing students' learning experiences and critical thinking skills.…”

“…OpenAI’s ChatGPT, an LLM, is trained using machine learning algorithms on vast text data sets, making it adept at interactive applications. It can be fine-tuned for specific tasks including translation, summarization, answering, and chatting. ,, While AI and LLMs are extensively used in industry, their implementation in education, especially secondary education and research, is still in its early stages. ,− Proposed educational uses include enhancing students’ learning experiences and critical thinking skills. ,, Even with the promising adoption of AI and LLMs including ChatGPT, which demonstrated great capabilities, there have been reported limitations and risks such as misleading information or disinformation, fake news, responses lacking higher-order thinking, and training data reliability. ,− Recent literature provides an increasingly large volume of studies on the application of AI and LLMs in higher education and the critical evaluation of the reliability and quality of ChatGPT outputs in that context. ,, …”