PERCEIVED ROLE OF AI CHATBOTS IN SUPPORTING SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING AMONG UNDERGRADUATE NURSING STUDENTS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY IN MARDAN

Abstract

Background: The incorporation of artificial intelligence into higher education has put in place new opportunities in enhancing self-directed learning (SDL), specially in nursing education where ongoing learning and clinical thinking is necessary.

Objectives: To examine the role of AI chatbots in enhancing self-directed learning among undergraduate nursing students in Mardan.

Methodology: This quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted in 197 undergraduate nursing students including Final year students and Nursing internee, selected through convenient sampling technique. Data were collected using structured, self-administered questionnaire examining perceived educational benefits, interaction and personalization concerns, learning limitations, implementation challenges, and reliability problems related to AI chatbot use. Internal Consistency of the questionnaire showed a very good Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.850. Descriptive statistics of the participants provided summary of their background information and opinions. Independent sample t test was applied to compare self-directed learning parts between final year students and nursing interns.

Result: The result shows that most of the respondent’s thoughts AI chatbots were helpful for understanding complex nursing concepts, getting ready for exam, and finding medical information. There was a statistically significant difference between final year students and nursing interns in term of how much they think they benefit from their education (p=0.022), and their worries about putting what they learned into practice (p=0.030). Still, there was no statistically significant difference in the overall self-directed learning score between the two groups (p=0.954).

Conclusion: Although there are worries about ethics, less interaction with teachers, and whether the information is reliable, many people see AI chatbots as helpful tools for learning on your own. The study finds that AI chatbots can help nursing students learn on their own when used together with regular teaching methods.