Artificial intelligence (AI) in primary school classrooms: ChatGPT’s text summarization ability and its impact on attitudes towards summarization

Abstract Developments in artificial intelligence technology are having a significant impact on education. ChatGPT, in particular, plays an important role in this regard. Although it raises various concerns, ChatGPT can also be positively integrated into classrooms. The current study investigates the integration of ChatGPT into primary schools for fourth-grade students. Within this framework, the study aims to examine the impact of ChatGPT on primary school students’ text summarization skills and their attitudes toward summarization. This study employed a nonequivalent control group pretest–posttest design within the framework of quantitative research methods. Data were collected from fourth-grade students aged 10 (experimental group = 34, control group = 34) at a primary school in Van, Türkiye, at the beginning of the second semester of 2025. A criterion sampling technique was used to determine the study group. Parametric tests were conducted to analyze the data collected using the Summary Skills Graded Scoring Key and the Attitude Toward Summarizing Scale. The results of the study showed that ChatGPT had a statistically significant effect on text summarization skills. Attitudes toward summarization, which is a challenging skill for students, also showed an increasing trend with the use of ChatGPT. The findings support the idea that ChatGPT can be incorporated into teaching to improve students' summarization skills and attitudes toward summarization. Similarly, the findings indicate that ChatGPT can be utilized in contexts where traditional methods fall short. It is recommended that ChatGPT be integrated into primary school classrooms and curricula.