Bridging the AI Gap: Validating Student Preference for Dialogic, Co-Agency, and Ethical Learning in Indonesia

Background: The rapid diffusion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) shifts essential student competencies from routine recall toward higher-order skills such as dialogue, co-agency, ethical judgment, and real-world problem-solving. Educational systems require empirical evidence to determine whether learners prefer and are ready for these transformed environments. Objective: This study examines the extent of Indonesian upper-secondary students’ preferences for Post-School Pedagogy (PSP)—specifically dialogic learning, co-agency, community-connected projects, authentic evidence, and ethical AI—while profiling differences across regional and demographic subgroups. Methodology: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 827 Grade 11 and 12 students across 19 Indonesian provinces (31.9% in West, 31.7% in Central, 36.4% in East). Preferences were measured using 10 items on a 7-point desirability scale. Analytical techniques included Welch-robust ANOVA with Holm post hoc tests, Welch t-tests (Hedges’ g), OLS (HC3) regression, and mixed-effects models with province-level random intercepts. Results: Students demonstrated a strong overall preference for PSP (M =5.22, SD= 0.82). Regional analysis revealed a significant gradient: West (5.31) > Central (5.22) > East (5.10). Specifically, the West–East difference was statistically significant (Δ 0.21, p < .001, g 0.24). While female students and those in urban/peri-urban areas showed slightly higher preferences, other subgroup effects were trivial. Low between-province variance (ICC = 0.03) suggests that most preference variance is attributable to the individual student level. Conclusion: Indonesian students express a clear preference for PSP features, with only minor regional and subgroup disparities. The findings support a national shift toward more interactive and agency-focused learning models. Unique Contribution: This study provides interdisciplinary evidence that students actively seek dialogic, co-designed, and ethically AI-enabled learning. It bridges educational psychology, the sociology of education, and communication to validate student readiness for AI-driven pedagogical shifts. Key Recommendation: Policy should prioritise scaling PSP through teacher professional development in dialogic facilitation, structured co-design, and community partnerships. Implementation must prioritise support for Eastern and rural contexts through gender-responsive routines and explicit AI ethics training