Exploring the Relevance of Chatgpt in Student-Teacher Education: A Case Study of Federal College of Education, Yola
TL;DR
Thematic analysis revealed universal but uneven use, shallow reading of outputs, and convergence on the view that ChatGPT is academically beneficial only when combined with critical engagement, lecturer mentorship, and clear institutional policy.
Abstract
Since its public release in November 2022, ChatGPT has rapidly become one of the most influential generative artificial-intelligence tools in education, attracting one million users within five days of launch. Amidst global concerns about academic integrity and widespread recognition of its pedagogical potential, this study investigated the effect of ChatGPT on student-teachers at the Federal College of Education, Yola, Adamawa State, Nigeria. Using a qualitative case-study design with four focus-group discussions (n = 24), the study explored the frequency of ChatGPT use, depth of engagement with outputs, paraphrasing practices, perceived academic merits and demerits, and overall benefits to academic progress. Thematic analysis revealed universal but uneven use (≈54 % habitual, ≈33 % occasional, ≈13 % situational), shallow reading of outputs (≈67 % skim only), minimal paraphrasing, and convergence on the view that ChatGPT is academically beneficial only when combined with critical engagement, lecturer mentorship, and clear institutional policy. The study contributes a grounded, context-specific perspective on AI adoption in Nigerian teacher education and offers practical recommendations for FCE Yola's academic-integrity framework.