Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Background

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly being integrated into higher education, yet empirical research on its impact on learning, student engagement, and interest remains limited.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to examine whether incorporating AI into an active learning activity would enhance situational interest among undergraduate students.

Method

A total of 312 introductory psychology students completed a lesson on the fundamental attribution error (FAE) under one of two conditions: (1) AI-assisted, using a custom GPT developed by the authors to guide an interactive dialogue-based lesson; or (2) No AI, completing an equivalent worksheet-based version of the activity. Following the lesson, students completed a measure of interest.

Results

Contrary to expectations, in face-to-face settings, students who completed the activity without AI reported significantly higher interest than those who used AI. There was no significant difference between conditions for total time spent on task, although students in the AI condition spent less time on an ungraded assessment of their learning.

Conclusions

The mere inclusion of AI-assisted learning may not inherently enhance interest and engagement in short, in-class applications.

Teaching Implications

These findings highlight the importance of human facilitation in sustaining student interest.

Keywords

learning human–AI interaction introductory psychology interest

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Bauer

Richters

Pickal

A. J.

Klippert

Sailer

Stadler

(2025). Effects of AI-generated adaptive feedback on statistical skills and interest in statistics: A field experiment in higher education. British Journal of Educational Technology, 56(5), 1735–1757. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13609

Bentrim

Henning

G. W.

(Eds.). (2023). The impact of a sense of belonging in college: Implications for student persistence, retention, and success. Taylor & Francis.

Bergin

D. A.

(2016). Social influences on interest. Educational Psychologist, 51(1), 7–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2015.1133306

Bernacki

M. L.

Walkington

(2018). The role of situational interest in personalized learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 110(6), 864. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000250

Bernstein

D. A.

Frantz

(2025). Teaching an introductory psychology course that matters. American Psychologist. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0001597

Bowen

J. A.

Watson

C. E.

(2025). Teaching with AI: A practical guide to a new era of human learning (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press.

Chew

S. L.

Boysen

G. A.

Naufel

K. Z.

Wickes

Rudmann

(2022). The successful psychology course: Transformative skills in introductory psychology. In Gurung

R. A. R.

Neufeld

(Eds.), Transforming introductory psychology: Expert advice on teacher training, course design, and student success (pp. 139–170). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000260-007

Chew

S. L.

Naufel

K. Z.

Boysen

G. A.

Wickes

Rudmann

(2022). Why introductory psychology? In Gurung

R. A. R.

Neufeld

(Eds.), Transforming introductory psychology: Expert advice on teacher training, course design, and student success (pp. 9–26). American Psychological Association. https://doi-org.org/10.1037/0000260-002

Ellison

Braxton

J. M.

(2023). Reviewing, theorizing, and looking ahead: The relationship between college students’ sense of belonging and persistence. In Bentrim

Hennings

(Eds.), The impact of a sense of belonging in college (pp. 35–56). Routledge.

10.

Freeman

(2025). Student generative AI survey 2025. Higher Education Policy Institute. Retrieved from https://www.hepi.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/HEPI-Kortext-Student-Generative-AI-Survey-2025.pdf

11.

Fryer

L. K.

Ainley

Thompson

Gibson

Sherlock

(2017). Stimulating and sustaining interest in a language course: An experimental comparison of chatbot and human task partners. Computers in Human Behavior, 75, 461–468. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.05.045

12.

Fryer

L. K.

Bovee

H. N.

(2021). Teaching for course interest. Studies in Higher Education, 46(11), 2122–2133. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2020.1712692

13.

Fryer

L. K.

Shum

King

R. B.

Lau

(2025). How does interest in a course interact with course learning? Learning and Instruction, 98, 102106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2025.102106

14.

Fryer

L. K.

Thompson

Nakao

Howarth

Gallacher

(2020). Supporting self-efficacy beliefs and interest as educational inputs and outcomes: Framing AI and human partnered task experiences. Learning and Individual Differences, 80, 101850. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2020.101850

15.

Gallant

T. B.

Rettinger

D. A.

(2025). The opposite of cheating: Teaching for integrity in the age of AI. University of Oklahoma Press.

16.

Guo

(2025). Exploring the categories of students’ interest and their relationships with deep learning in technology supported environments. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 10370. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-95294-2

17.

Gurung

R. A. R.

Oxlad

Slade

J. J.

(2025). AI-assisted classroom activities. https://osf.io/eyvpu

18.

Harackiewicz

J. M.

Smith

J. L.

Priniski

S. J.

(2016). Interest matters: The importance of promoting interest in education. Policy Insights From the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 3(2), 220–227. https://doi.org/10.1177/2372732216655542

19.

Hendrickson

(2021). Effect of active learning techniques on student excitement, interest, and self-efficacy. Journal of Political Science Education, 17(2), 311–325. https://doi.org/10.1080/15512169.2019.1629946

20.

Hidi

Renninger

K. A.

(2006). The four-phase model of interest development. Educational Psychologist, 41(2), 111–127. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep4102_4

21.

Xiao

(2025). What are the influencing factors of online learning engagement? A systematic literature review. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1542652. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1542652

22.

Huang

A. Y.

O. H.

Yang

S. J.

(2023). Effects of artificial intelligence–enabled personalized recommendations on learners’ learning engagement, motivation, and outcomes in a flipped classroom. Computers & Education, 194, 104684. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2022.104684

23.

Kleespies

M. W.

Scheersoi

Dierkes

P. W.

Wenzel

(2024). Measuring interest: Development and application of a three-dimensional situational interest short scale. European Journal of Educational Research, 13(2), 795–811. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.13.2.795

24.

Kortemeyer

Dittmann-Domenichini

Schlienger

Spilling

Yaroshchuk

Dissertori

(2023). Attending lectures in person, hybrid or online-how do students choose, and what about the outcome? International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 20(1), 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-023-00387-5

25.

Krapp

(1999). Interest, motivation and learning: An educational-psychological perspective. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 14(1), 23–40. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03173109

26.

Labadze

Grigolia

Machaidze

(2023). Role of AI chatbots in education: Systematic literature review. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 20, 56. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-023-00426-1

27.

Lewohl

J. M.

(2023). Exploring student perceptions and use of face-to-face classes, technology-enhanced active learning, and online resources. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 20, 48. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-023-00416-3

28.

Montenegro-Rueda

Fernández Cerero

Fernández Batanero

Meneses

(2023). Impact of the implementation of ChatGPT in education: A systematic review. Computers, 12(8), 153. https://doi.org/10.3390/computers12080153

29.

Moores

Birdi

G. K.

Higson

H. E.

(2019). Determinants of university students’ attendance. Educational Research, 61(4), 371–387. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2019.1660587

30.

Nguyen

Gardner

Sheridan

(2020). Data analytics in higher education: An integrated view. Journal of Information Systems Education, 31(1), 61–71.

31.

O'Keeffe

(2013). A sense of belonging: Improving student retention. College Student Journal, 47(4), 605–613.

32.

Pittman

L. D.

Richmond

(2007). Academic and psychological functioning in late adolescence: The importance of school belonging. The Journal of Experimental Education, 75(4), 270–290. https://doi.org/10.3200/JEXE.75.4.270-292

33.

Quinlan

K. M.

(2019). What triggers students’ interest during higher education lectures? Personal and situational variables associated with situational interest. Studies in Higher Education, 44(10), 1781–1792. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1665325

34.

Rasul

Nair

Kalendra

Robin

de Oliveira Santini

Junior Ladeira

Sun

Day

Rather

R. A.

Heathcote

(2023). The role of ChatGPT in higher education: Benefits, challenges, and future research directions. Journal of Applied Learning & Teaching, 6(1), 41–56. https://doi.org/10.37074/jalt.2023.6.1.29

35.

Reber

Canning

E. A.

Harackiewicz

J. M.

(2018). Personalized education to increase interest. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 27(6), 449–454. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721418793140

36.

Renninger

K. A.

Hidi

S. E.

(2020). To level the playing field, develop interest. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 7(1), 10–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/2372732219864705

37.

Schraw

Flowerday

Lehman

(2001). Increasing situational interest in the classroom. Educational Psychology Review, 13(3), 211–224. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016619705184

38.

Slade

J. J.

Byers

S. M.

Becker-Blease

K. A.

Gurung

R. A.

(2025). Navigating the new frontier: Recommendations to address the crisis and potential of AI in the classroom. Teaching of Psychology, 52(3), 254–261. https://doi.org/10.1177/00986283241276098

39.

Sloan

Manns

Mellor

Jeffries

(2020). Factors influencing student non-attendance at formal teaching sessions. Studies in Higher Education, 45(11), 2203–2216. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1599849

40.

Srichinda

Frenay

Mecheri

(2026). Analyzing student engagement: A case study of active learning in two biology courses from a three-point perspective. Cogent Education, 13(1), 2604343. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2604343

41.

Tan

Cheng

Ling

M. H.

(2025). Artificial intelligence in teaching and teacher professional development: A systematic review. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 8, 100355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2024.100355

42.

VanLehn

(2011). The relative effectiveness of human tutoring, intelligent tutoring systems, and other tutoring systems. Educational Psychologist, 46(4), 197–221. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2011.611369

43.

(2024). Do AI chatbots improve students learning outcomes? Evidence from a meta-analysis. British Journal of Educational Technology, 55(1), 10–33. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13334

44.

Xie

Chu

H. C.

Hwang

G. J.

Wang

C. C.

(2019). Trends and development in technology-enhanced adaptive/personalized learning: A systematic review of journal publications from 2007 to 2017. Computers & Education, 140, 103599. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103599

45.

Yust

P. K.

Liu

Hard

B. M.

(2021). Course belonging and engagement in introductory psychology: Why they matter and what predicts them. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology, 7(3), 206–227. https://doi.org/10.1037/stl0000295

Does an AI-Assisted Active Learning Exercise Foster Student Interest?

Abstract

Background

Objective

Method

Results

Conclusions

Teaching Implications

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References