Generative AI Chatbot Use for School Activities Among Teachers in Private Primary Schools in Dutse, Jigawa State

This study examined generative AI chatbot use for school activities among teachers in private primary schools in Dutse, Jigawa State. Specifically, the study identified the generative AI chatbots used by teachers, assessed their practices for verifying the accuracy and appropriateness of AI-generated information, examined the school activities for which the chatbots were used, and identified the challenges encountered in their use. A descriptive survey design was adopted, with all 266 teachers in the identified private primary schools in Dutse studied through total enumeration. Data were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire and analysed using frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations. The findings revealed that ChatGPT was the most commonly used generative AI chatbot (71.4%), followed by Google Gemini (65.4%) and Microsoft Copilot (63.2%). However, teachers demonstrated a low level of adoption of the assessed verification practices, with an overall mean of 2.66. Generative AI chatbots were used for a wide range of school activities, including administrative tasks, providing explanations and feedback to pupils, preparing lesson plans, developing differentiated learning materials, and generating pupils' exercises, with an overall mean of 3.72. Major challenges included inadequate prompting skills (91.4%), absence of clear school policies (91.4%), inadequate knowledge of effective AI use (89.1%), inadequate school guidance (89.1%), difficulty determining the accuracy of AI-generated information (86.1%), and concerns about pupils' privacy (86.1%). The study concludes that although generative AI chatbot use is relatively widespread among teachers, responsible and effective utilisation is constrained by weak verification practices and substantial competency, institutional, ethical and infrastructural challenges. The study recommends regular practical AI competency training, clear institutional guidelines, improved digital infrastructure, and consistent verification of AI-generated information before classroom use.