Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Zhang, Mengmeng, Yang, Xiantong
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.00341
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866913338160578560
author Zhang, Mengmeng
Yang, Xiantong
author_facet Zhang, Mengmeng
Yang, Xiantong
contents Using information technology tools for academic help-seeking among college students has become a popular trend. In the evolutionary process between Generation Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and traditional search engines, when students face academic challenges, do they tend to prefer Google, or are they more inclined to utilize ChatGPT? And what are the key factors influencing learners' preference to use ChatGPT for academic help-seeking? These relevant questions merit attention. The study employed a mixed-methods research design to investigate Taiwanese university students' online academic help-seeking preferences. The results indicated that students tend to prefer using ChatGPT to seek academic assistance, reflecting the potential popularity of GenAI in the educational field. Additionally, in comparing seven machine learning algorithms, the Random Forest and LightGBM algorithms exhibited superior performance. These two algorithms were employed to evaluate the predictive capability of 18 potential factors. It was found that GenAI fluency, GenAI distortions, and age were the core factors influencing how university students seek academic help. Overall, this study underscores that educators should prioritize the cultivation of students' critical thinking skills, while technical personnel should enhance the fluency and reliability of ChatGPT and Google searches and explore the integration of chat and search functions to achieve optimal balance.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2405_00341
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Google or ChatGPT: Who is the Better Helper for University Students
Zhang, Mengmeng
Yang, Xiantong
Human-Computer Interaction
Using information technology tools for academic help-seeking among college students has become a popular trend. In the evolutionary process between Generation Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and traditional search engines, when students face academic challenges, do they tend to prefer Google, or are they more inclined to utilize ChatGPT? And what are the key factors influencing learners' preference to use ChatGPT for academic help-seeking? These relevant questions merit attention. The study employed a mixed-methods research design to investigate Taiwanese university students' online academic help-seeking preferences. The results indicated that students tend to prefer using ChatGPT to seek academic assistance, reflecting the potential popularity of GenAI in the educational field. Additionally, in comparing seven machine learning algorithms, the Random Forest and LightGBM algorithms exhibited superior performance. These two algorithms were employed to evaluate the predictive capability of 18 potential factors. It was found that GenAI fluency, GenAI distortions, and age were the core factors influencing how university students seek academic help. Overall, this study underscores that educators should prioritize the cultivation of students' critical thinking skills, while technical personnel should enhance the fluency and reliability of ChatGPT and Google searches and explore the integration of chat and search functions to achieve optimal balance.
title Google or ChatGPT: Who is the Better Helper for University Students
topic Human-Computer Interaction
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.00341