Research Article

Generations Growing Up with Future Technologies: An Examination of Primary School Students’ Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence

Volume: 10 July 16, 2026

Generations Growing Up with Future Technologies: An Examination of Primary School Students’ Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

The aim of this study is to reveal the perceptions of 4th-grade primary school students regarding the concept of artificial intelligence (AI), their thoughts on how AI can contribute to humanity, the areas they want to develop through AI, and their views on how AI will transform life in the future, and to examine the impact of socio-economic differences on these views. The study adopted a case study model, a qualitative research approach. The study group consisted of a total of 187 4th-grade primary school students attending eight primary schools in socio-economically diverse regions under the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of National Education during the 2024-2025 academic year. Inductive thematic analysis, a qualitative data analysis method, was used to analyze the data obtained from the students. The study revealed that students mostly defined the concept of AI through concrete technological tools they encountered in daily life, generally held a positive attitude towards AI's potential to help people, and emphasized its educational and academic support and its role in assisting daily life. Themes such as robots that make people's lives easier and self-improvement/brain/mind enhancement are frequently featured.

Keywords

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Classroom Education, Primary Education

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

July 16, 2026

Submission Date

January 8, 2026

Acceptance Date

May 25, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 10

APA
Apak Tezcan, Ö., Çarıkçı, S., Özkan, A. A., & Başlantı, Y. (2026). Generations Growing Up with Future Technologies: An Examination of Primary School Students’ Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence. Research on Education and Psychology, 10, 246-261. https://doi.org/10.54535/rep.1859083
AMA
1.Apak Tezcan Ö, Çarıkçı S, Özkan AA, Başlantı Y. Generations Growing Up with Future Technologies: An Examination of Primary School Students’ Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence. Research on Education and Psychology. 2026;10:246-261. doi:10.54535/rep.1859083
Chicago
Apak Tezcan, Özlem, Seda Çarıkçı, Ayşe Aybike Özkan, and Yasemin Başlantı. 2026. “Generations Growing Up With Future Technologies: An Examination of Primary School Students’ Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence”. Research on Education and Psychology 10 (July): 246-61. https://doi.org/10.54535/rep.1859083.
EndNote
Apak Tezcan Ö, Çarıkçı S, Özkan AA, Başlantı Y (July 1, 2026) Generations Growing Up with Future Technologies: An Examination of Primary School Students’ Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence. Research on Education and Psychology 10 246–261.
IEEE
[1]Ö. Apak Tezcan, S. Çarıkçı, A. A. Özkan, and Y. Başlantı, “Generations Growing Up with Future Technologies: An Examination of Primary School Students’ Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence”, Research on Education and Psychology, vol. 10, pp. 246–261, July 2026, doi: 10.54535/rep.1859083.
ISNAD
Apak Tezcan, Özlem - Çarıkçı, Seda - Özkan, Ayşe Aybike - Başlantı, Yasemin. “Generations Growing Up With Future Technologies: An Examination of Primary School Students’ Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence”. Research on Education and Psychology 10 (July 1, 2026): 246-261. https://doi.org/10.54535/rep.1859083.
JAMA
1.Apak Tezcan Ö, Çarıkçı S, Özkan AA, Başlantı Y. Generations Growing Up with Future Technologies: An Examination of Primary School Students’ Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence. Research on Education and Psychology. 2026;10:246–261.
MLA
Apak Tezcan, Özlem, et al. “Generations Growing Up With Future Technologies: An Examination of Primary School Students’ Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence”. Research on Education and Psychology, vol. 10, July 2026, pp. 246-61, doi:10.54535/rep.1859083.
Vancouver
1.Özlem Apak Tezcan, Seda Çarıkçı, Ayşe Aybike Özkan, Yasemin Başlantı. Generations Growing Up with Future Technologies: An Examination of Primary School Students’ Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence. Research on Education and Psychology. 2026 Jul. 1;10:246-61. doi:10.54535/rep.1859083

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