Students’ concerns about using AI in their studies

DOI: https://doi.org/10.35765/mjse.2026.1529.23
Keywords: AI, AI tools, AI use, concerns, AI in studies

Abstract

Research objectives (aims) and problem(s): The research concepts were developed based on Ulrich Beck’s theory of risk, Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital, and Paulo Freire’s concept of critical pedagogy. The research problem is formulated as follows: What concerns do students at Kraków universities have about using artificial intelligence while studying? It was assumed that they are related, in part, to dependence on technology, algorithmic flaws, and the potential replacement of humans by AI.

Research methods: The study was conducted between 20 January and 20 March 2025, using the diagnostic survey method (CAWI) on a quota sample of 1,529 students, via the Google Forms platform. Frequency analyses and descriptive statistics were applied.

Process of argumentation: The empirical findings were interpreted in relation to broader social and educational processes associated with technological risk, digital inequalities, and critical approaches to AI in education.

Research findings and their impact on the development of educational sciences: Respondents rated their concerns using a five-point Likert scale. The strongest concerns were related to the possibility of AI replacing humans in professions such as teaching or translation (30.1% selected level 5, the highest level of concern; 13.7% reported no concern at all). High levels of concern were also recorded regarding errors and imperfections in algorithms (level 4 – 24.6%, level 5 – 23.2%). The results indicate a growing sense of social anxiety associated with the increasing use of technology, particularly concerns related to the loss of control over technological systems and the potential for technological dependency.

Conclusions and/or recommendations: Literature analyses indicate a shortage of empirical studies on students’ concerns regarding AI use in higher education and highlight the need to promote informed, responsible AI use in academic environments. The study contributes to the emerging debate on AI-related risk perception among university students and expands research on technological inequalities in higher education.

References

Adamczyk, M. (2015). Kapitał kulturowy jako czynnik reprodukcji nierówności społecznych w teorii Pierre’a Bourdieu [Cultural capital as a factor in the reproduction of social inequalities in Pierre Bourdieu’s theory]. In A. Kowalski (Ed.), Przemiany społeczne we współczesnej Polsce i ich konsekwencje. Perspektywa socjologiczna (pp. 13–30). Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II.

Beck, U. (2002). Społeczeństwo ryzyka. W drodze do innej nowoczesności [Risk society: Towards a new modernity]. Scholar.

Beck, U. (2012). Światowe społeczeństwa ryzyka. W poszukiwaniu utraconego bezpieczeństwa [Global risk societies: In search of lost security]. Scholar.

Bourdieu, P. (2006). Dystynkcja: klasy i klasyfikacje [Distinction: classes and classifications]. In A. Jasińska-Kania, L. M. Nijakowski, J. Szacki, & M. Ziółkowski (Eds.), Współczesne teorie socjologiczne, vol. 2 (pp. 634–650). Wydawnictwo Naukowe Scholar.

Bourdieu P. (2008), Zmysł praktyczny [Practical reason]. Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagielońskego.

Bourdieu P., & Passeron J. C. (1990). Reprodukcja. Elementy teorii systemu nauczania [Reproduction: Elements of a theory of the education system]. Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN.

Bourdieu, P., & Wacquant, L. (2006). Logika pól [Field logic]. In A. Jasińska-Kania, L. M. Nijakowski, J. Szacki, & M. Ziółkowski (Eds.), Współczesne teorie socjologiczne, vol. 2 (pp. 651–662). Wydawnictwo Naukowe Scholar.

Bulathwela, S., Pérez-Ortiz, M., Holloway, C., Cukurova, M., & Shawe-Taylor, J. (2024). Artificial intelligence alone will not democratise education: On educational inequality, techno-solutionism and inclusive tools. Sustainability, 16(2), 781. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16020781

Chan, C. K. Y., & Tsi, L. H. Y. (2024). The AI revolution in education: Will AI replace or assist teachers in higher education? Studies in Educational Evaluation, 83, 101395. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2024.101395

Cotton, D., Cotton, P., & Shipway, R. (2023). Chatting and cheating: Ensuring academic integrity in the era of ChatGPT. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 61(2), 228–239. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2023.2190148

Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. Continuum.

Holmes, W., Bialik, M., & Fadel, C. (2022). Artificial intelligence in education. Routledge.

Hryniewicz, J. T. (2014). Społeczeństwo ryzyka. teoria, model, analiza krytyczna [Risk society: The theory, model, critical analysis]. Przegląd Socjologiczny, 2, 9–33.

Kasneci, E., Seßler, K., Küchemann, S., Bannert, M., Dementieva, D., Fischer, F., Gasser, U., Groh, G., Günnemann, S., Hüllermeier, E., Krusche, S., Kutyniok, G., Michaeli, T., Nerdel, C., Pfeffer, J., Poquet, O., Sailer, M., Schmidt, A., Seidel, T., & Kasneci, G. (2023). ChatGPT for good? On opportunities and challenges of large language models for education. Learning and Individual Differences, 103, 102274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2023.102274

Luckin, R. (2018). Machine learning and human intelligence: The future of education for the 21st century. UCL Institute of Education Press.

Łukasik, M. (2024). The future of the translation profession in the era of artificial intelligence: Survey results from Polish translators, translation trainers, and students of translation. Lublin Studies in Modern Languages and Literature, 48(3), 25–39. https://doi.org/10.17951/lsmll.2024.48.3.25-39

Minsky, M. (1986). The society of mind. Touchstone.

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1108/10748120110424816

Rudolph, J., Tan, S., & Tan, S. H. (2023). ChatGPT: Bullshit spewer or the end of traditional assessments in higher education? Journal of Applied Learning and Teaching, 6(1), 342–363.

Russell, S., & Norvig, P. (2021). Artificial intelligence: A modern approach (4th ed.). Pearson.

Selwyn, N. (2019). Should robots replace teachers? AI and the future of education. Polity Press.

Stankiewicz, P. (2008). W świecie ryzyka. Niekończąca się opowieść Ulricha Becka [In a world of risk: Ulrich Beck’s never-ending story]. Studia Socjologiczne, 3(190), 117–134.

Tlili, A., Shehata, B., Adarkwah, M. A., Bozkurt, A., Hickey, D. T., Huang, R., & Agyemang, B. (2023). What if the devil is my guardian angel: ChatGPT as a case study of using chatbots in education. Smart Learning Environments, 10, 15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-023-00237-x

Turner J. H. (2012) Struktura teorii socjologicznej [The structure of sociological theory]. Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN.

Zawacki-Richter, O., Marín, V. I., Bond, M., & Gouverneur, F. (2019). Systematic review of research on artificial intelligence applications in higher education. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 16, 39. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-019-0171-0

Published
2026-06-30
How to Cite
Szast, M. (2026). Students’ concerns about using AI in their studies. Multidisciplinary Journal of School Education, 15(1 (29), 409-427. https://doi.org/10.35765/mjse.2026.1529.23
Issue
Vol. 15 No. 1 (29) (2026): Stress and Success Among Teachers
Section
Miscellaneous Articles

Copyright (c) 2026 Mateusz Szast

Creative Commons License

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

  1. The Author/Authors declares/declare that their publication is original has not been published before and is not currently being considered for publication elsewhere and does not include borrowings from other works which might cause Publisher's responsibility, does not infringe the rights of the third party and that their copyright on this publication is not limited. The Author/Authors will incur all the costs and will pay compensations which might result from the mendacity of the following statement.

  2. The Author/Authors declares/declare that issues about publication ethics, have been appropriately considered.

  3. The Author/Authors agrees/agree to publish the article free of charge in Multidisciplinary Journal of School Education in English or Spanish. The Editorial Board reserves the right to shorten the texts and change the titles.

  4. As part of free publication mentioned in § 1, the Author/Authors agrees/agree to make the full electronic version of their article available in the Internet.

  5. The Author/Authors agrees/agree to index their article in databases at home and abroad, including abstracts and keywords as well as Authors’ affiliation in English and in other languages. The Author/Authors agrees/agree to pass on the information mentioned above to the owners of these databases.

  6. The Author/Authors declares/declare that the article is free of plagiarism.

  7. The Author/Authors declares/declare that funding and conflict of interest information has been included in the article.

  8. The Author/Authors accepts/accept that the author is aware of the consequences of scientific dishonesty, which, once detected, will be documented and disclosed to the public, and information about it will be communicated to the relevant institutions (universities employing the authors, scientific societies, publishing houses, etc.).

  9. The Author/Authors declares/declare to publish the text in the Multidisciplinary Journal of School Education under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-ND 4.0).

  10. For one Author. Please complete the Author Statement and send it to the editorial office. Please download, complete, scan and attach the file in the system during the submission process.
    Download: Author Statement

  11. For more than one Author. The Authors declare to bear complete responsibility for the scientific reliability of the article submitted. The detailed contribution of all co-authors is defined. Please complete the Authors Statement-Authorship Contributions and send it to the editorial office. Please indicate the specific contributions made by each author (list the authors’ initials, e.g., JKH).  Please download, complete, scan and attach the file in the system during the submission process. 
    Download: Authors Statement - Authorship Contributions