Awareness, Perceived Benefits, and Skill-Erosion Concerns Regarding Generative AI Among Higher Education Students

Abstract

This research aimed to assess awareness of generative AI limitations, highlight its advantages, and identify potential threats from misuse, focusing on differences in opinions between future educators and students from non-education fields. The data were collected through surveying 931 undergraduate students of a private university in the Philippines. The researchers used a comparative-correlational research design with a qualitative strand. The study found moderate awareness of generative AI’s limitations (M = 3.31, SD = 0.94) and a moderate-to-cautious attitude toward its implementation (M = 3.15, SD = 0.87). Education students showed higher awareness than students from other majors (d = 0.40), while differences in usage, perception, and fear of skills deteriorating were negligible (d = 0.14–0.25) and, to some extent, neutralized in robustness checks. Differences between genders and years of study in perceptions were minor. The findings suggest that future teachers’ curricula should include a course on AI literacy and emphasize developing critical thinking skills to prepare students for implementing generative AI solutions in teaching practices.