The Scottish education system has learners at its heart. As new AI technology emerges, it’s important to consider young people’s views. Do high school learners use GenAI tools for learning? What do they use it for? What are their concerns about using this technology? What do they think is fair AI use for learners and for teachers?
On the 10th June 2025, we discussed a recent research collaboration between the University of Edinburgh, the SQA and young people which has been exploring these issues.
We heard from Maggie Mroczkowski and Jamie Lawson from the SQA and young peer researchers from Scottish secondary schools who shared their findings from recent surveys and focus groups with young people.
Theo Pengelley from the SQA discussed how the findings relate to the SQA’s stance on AI in assessment.
The event reached a cohort of 54 attendees, including school leaders, teachers, policy makers and researchers.
The outcomes of this research have been published as a paper, Secondary Students as Co-Researchers on Generative AI in Learning: Empowering Youth to Shape National Education Policy, and will be presented at the UKICER Conference 2025.