• Students who used the AI teacher ChatGPT-4 improved their test results by 0.31 standard deviations, equivalent to 1.5 to 2 years of regular schooling.
  • The program cost only $48 per student for six weeks and proved to be highly cost-effective compared to other educational interventions.
  • The greatest effect was seen among female students and those with higher previous performance, while all students improved their results regardless of starting level.

Randomized control study in nine schools

Researchers conducted a six-week program in Benin City, Nigeria, where students from nine public schools used Microsoft Copilot (powered by GPT-4) to improve their English skills. A total of 759 students participated in the study, with 422 in the treatment group and 337 in the control group.

Students worked in pairs and used the AI teacher twice per week in 90-minute after-school sessions. Teachers received training on how to guide students to use the tool correctly, with specially designed prompts that made the AI function more as a teacher rather than simply providing direct answers.

Significant improvements in all subject areas

Results show that students who used the AI teacher scored 0.31 standard deviations higher on the final test. The greatest effect was seen in AI knowledge with 0.31 standard deviations, followed by English with 0.24 standard deviations and digital skills with 0.14 standard deviations.

Importantly, students also performed better on their regular third-term English exams, with an improvement of 0.21 standard deviations, despite this exam covering much more than what was addressed during the six weeks.

Explaining standard deviation

Standard deviation is a measure of how spread out the values in a dataset are around the average: the larger the standard deviation, the greater the spread. Imagine we’re measuring students’ test scores — if everyone gets exactly the same score, the standard deviation is 0, but if the scores vary a lot, it gets higher.

In the study students who used GPT-4-based chatbots were compared to a control group. The results are reported in terms of standard deviations, because the researchers first normalized the test scores (mean 0, standard deviation 1). When they say that total test scores increased by 0.31 standard deviations, it means that the average participant moved about a third of the way from the middle of the distribution toward the top — roughly from the 50th to the 62nd percentile.

Similarly, English knowledge increased by 0.24 standard deviations, and AI knowledge by 0.31 standard deviations. In practice, this means the program delivered gains equivalent to one to two years of typical learning, compressed into just six weeks.

Higher attendance yields greater effect

The study shows a clear relationship between attendance and results. For each additional day a student participated, results improved by 0.031 standard deviations. Average attendance was 72 percent among students in the treatment group.

Researchers estimate that if the program were run for an entire school year, students could improve their results by between 1.2 and 2.2 standard deviations, depending on attendance levels.

Highly cost-effective program

The cost of the six-week program was $48 per student. If the program were extended to a full school year, the cost would be $124 per student. Analysis shows the program generated learning gains equivalent to 3.2 years of schooling per $100 invested.

Compared to other educational interventions in low- and middle-income countries, this program ranks among the most cost-effective, with a benefit-cost ratio between 161 and 260.

Greatest effect for female students

Analysis of different student groups shows that female students benefited most from the program. This compensated for their slightly lower performance at baseline. Students with higher previous performance and better socioeconomic status also benefited more from the intervention.

Researchers emphasize that AI teachers can improve learning when used correctly, with teacher guidance and specific instructions that encourage reflection rather than simply providing direct answers.

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