Report on the Scoping Workshop on AI in Science Education Research 2025
Abstract
This report summarizes the outcomes of a two-day international scoping workshop on the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in science education research. As AI rapidly reshapes scientific practice, classroom learning, and research methods, the field faces both new opportunities and significant challenges. The report clarifies key AI concepts to reduce ambiguity and reviews evidence of how AI influences scientific work, teaching practices, and disciplinary learning. It identifies how AI intersects with major areas of science education research, including curriculum development, assessment, epistemic cognition, inclusion, and teacher professional development, highlighting cases where AI can support human reasoning and cases where it may introduce risks to equity or validity. The report also examines how AI is transforming methodological approaches across quantitative, qualitative, ethnographic, and design-based traditions, giving rise to hybrid forms of analysis that combine human and computational strengths. To guide responsible integration, a systems-thinking heuristic is introduced that helps researchers consider stakeholder needs, potential risks, and ethical constraints. The report concludes with actionable recommendations for training, infrastructure, and standards, along with guidance for funders, policymakers, professional organizations, and academic departments. The goal is to support principled and methodologically sound use of AI in science education research.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2511.14318,
title = {Report on the Scoping Workshop on AI in Science Education Research 2025},
author = {Marcus Kubsch and Marit Kastaun and Peter Wulff and Nicole Graulich and Moriah Ariely and Alexander Bergmann-Gering and Sebastian Gombert and Bor Gregorcic and Hendrik Härtig and Benedikt Heuckmann and Andrea Horbach and Christina Krist and Gerd Kortemeyer and Ben Münch and Samuel Pazicni and Joshua M. Rosenberg and Sascha Schanze and Gena Sbeglia and Vidar Skogvoll and Christophe Speroni and Christoph Thyssen and Lars-Jochen Thoms and Brandon J. Yik and Xiaoming Zhai},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2511.14318},
year = {2025}
}