The impact of Generative AI (GenAI) on practices, policies and research direction in education: a case of ChatGPT and Midjourney

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools have become increasingly accessible and have impacted school education in numerous ways. However, most of the discussions occur in higher education. In schools, teachers’ perspectives are crucial for making sense of innovative technologies. Accordingly, this qualitative study aims to investigate how GenAI changes our school education from the perspectives of teachers and leaders. It used four domains – learning, teaching, assessment, and administration – as the initial framework suggested in a systematic literature review study on AI in education. The participants were 88 school teachers and leaders of different backgrounds. They completed a survey and joined a focus group to share how ChatGPT and Midjounery had a GenAI effect on school education. Thematic analysis identified four main themes and 12 subthemes. The findings provide three suggestions for practices: know-it-all attitude, new prerequisite knowledge, interdisciplinary teaching, and three implications for policy: new assessment, AI education, and professional standards. They also further suggest six future research directions for GenAI in education.