Higher education students' perceptions of ChatGPT: A global study of early reactions
Issued Date
2025-02-01
Resource Type
eISSN
19326203
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85217552455
Journal Title
PLoS ONE
Volume
20
Issue
2 February
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
PLoS ONE Vol.20 No.2 February (2025)
Suggested Citation
Ravšelj D., Keržič D., Tomaževič N., Umek L., Brezovar N., Iahad N.A., Abdulla A.A., Akopyan A., Segura M.W.A., AlHumaid J., Allam M.F., Alló M., Andoh R.P.K., Andronic O., Arthur Y.D., Aydın F., Badran A., Balbontín-Alvarado R., Saad H.B., Bencsik A., Benning I., Besimi A., Bezerra D.d.S., Buizza C., Burro R., Bwalya A., Cachero C., Castillo-Briceno P., Castro H., Chai C.S., Charalambous C., Chiu T.K.F., Clipa O., Colombari R., Corral Escobedo L.J.H., Costa E., Crețulescu R.G., Crispino M., Cucari N., Dalton F., Kaya M.D., Dumić-Čule I., Dwidienawati D., Ebardo R., Egbenya D.L., Faris M.A.I.E., Fečko M., Ferrinho P., Florea A., Fong C.Y., Francis Z., Ghilardi A., González-Fernández B., Hau D., Shamim Hossain M., Hug T., Inasius F., Ismail M.J., Jahić H., Jessa M.O., Kapanadze M., Kar S.K., Kateeb E.T., Kaya F., Khadri H.O., Kikuchi M., Kobets V.M., Kostova K.M., Krasmane E., Lau J., Law W.H.C., Lazăr F., Lazović-Pita L., Lee V.W.Y., Li J., López-Aguilar D.V., Luca A., Luciano R.G., Machin-Mastromatteo J.D., Madi M., Manguele A.L., Manrique R.F., Mapulanga T., Marimon F., Marinova G.I., Mas-Machuca M., Mejía-Rodríguez O., Meletiou-Mavrotheris M., Méndez-Prado S.M., Meza-Cano J.M., Mirke E., Mishra A., Mital O., Mollica C., Morariu D.I., Mospan N., Mukuka A., Jiménez S.G.N., Nikaj I., Nisheva M.M. Higher education students' perceptions of ChatGPT: A global study of early reactions. PLoS ONE Vol.20 No.2 February (2025). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0315011 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/105341
Title
Higher education students' perceptions of ChatGPT: A global study of early reactions
Author(s)
Ravšelj D.
Keržič D.
Tomaževič N.
Umek L.
Brezovar N.
Iahad N.A.
Abdulla A.A.
Akopyan A.
Segura M.W.A.
AlHumaid J.
Allam M.F.
Alló M.
Andoh R.P.K.
Andronic O.
Arthur Y.D.
Aydın F.
Badran A.
Balbontín-Alvarado R.
Saad H.B.
Bencsik A.
Benning I.
Besimi A.
Bezerra D.d.S.
Buizza C.
Burro R.
Bwalya A.
Cachero C.
Castillo-Briceno P.
Castro H.
Chai C.S.
Charalambous C.
Chiu T.K.F.
Clipa O.
Colombari R.
Corral Escobedo L.J.H.
Costa E.
Crețulescu R.G.
Crispino M.
Cucari N.
Dalton F.
Kaya M.D.
Dumić-Čule I.
Dwidienawati D.
Ebardo R.
Egbenya D.L.
Faris M.A.I.E.
Fečko M.
Ferrinho P.
Florea A.
Fong C.Y.
Francis Z.
Ghilardi A.
González-Fernández B.
Hau D.
Shamim Hossain M.
Hug T.
Inasius F.
Ismail M.J.
Jahić H.
Jessa M.O.
Kapanadze M.
Kar S.K.
Kateeb E.T.
Kaya F.
Khadri H.O.
Kikuchi M.
Kobets V.M.
Kostova K.M.
Krasmane E.
Lau J.
Law W.H.C.
Lazăr F.
Lazović-Pita L.
Lee V.W.Y.
Li J.
López-Aguilar D.V.
Luca A.
Luciano R.G.
Machin-Mastromatteo J.D.
Madi M.
Manguele A.L.
Manrique R.F.
Mapulanga T.
Marimon F.
Marinova G.I.
Mas-Machuca M.
Mejía-Rodríguez O.
Meletiou-Mavrotheris M.
Méndez-Prado S.M.
Meza-Cano J.M.
Mirke E.
Mishra A.
Mital O.
Mollica C.
Morariu D.I.
Mospan N.
Mukuka A.
Jiménez S.G.N.
Nikaj I.
Nisheva M.M.
Keržič D.
Tomaževič N.
Umek L.
Brezovar N.
Iahad N.A.
Abdulla A.A.
Akopyan A.
Segura M.W.A.
AlHumaid J.
Allam M.F.
Alló M.
Andoh R.P.K.
Andronic O.
Arthur Y.D.
Aydın F.
Badran A.
Balbontín-Alvarado R.
Saad H.B.
Bencsik A.
Benning I.
Besimi A.
Bezerra D.d.S.
Buizza C.
Burro R.
Bwalya A.
Cachero C.
Castillo-Briceno P.
Castro H.
Chai C.S.
Charalambous C.
Chiu T.K.F.
Clipa O.
Colombari R.
Corral Escobedo L.J.H.
Costa E.
Crețulescu R.G.
Crispino M.
Cucari N.
Dalton F.
Kaya M.D.
Dumić-Čule I.
Dwidienawati D.
Ebardo R.
Egbenya D.L.
Faris M.A.I.E.
Fečko M.
Ferrinho P.
Florea A.
Fong C.Y.
Francis Z.
Ghilardi A.
González-Fernández B.
Hau D.
Shamim Hossain M.
Hug T.
Inasius F.
Ismail M.J.
Jahić H.
Jessa M.O.
Kapanadze M.
Kar S.K.
Kateeb E.T.
Kaya F.
Khadri H.O.
Kikuchi M.
Kobets V.M.
Kostova K.M.
Krasmane E.
Lau J.
Law W.H.C.
Lazăr F.
Lazović-Pita L.
Lee V.W.Y.
Li J.
López-Aguilar D.V.
Luca A.
Luciano R.G.
Machin-Mastromatteo J.D.
Madi M.
Manguele A.L.
Manrique R.F.
Mapulanga T.
Marimon F.
Marinova G.I.
Mas-Machuca M.
Mejía-Rodríguez O.
Meletiou-Mavrotheris M.
Méndez-Prado S.M.
Meza-Cano J.M.
Mirke E.
Mishra A.
Mital O.
Mollica C.
Morariu D.I.
Mospan N.
Mukuka A.
Jiménez S.G.N.
Nikaj I.
Nisheva M.M.
Author's Affiliation
Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences
Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development
Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology (NEUST)
Universidad Galileo
Universidad Vasco de Quiroga
Facultade de Economía e Empresa, Universidade de A Coruña
College of Education
Faculty of Dentistry - Ain Shams University
University North
Universidad Iberoamericana Puebla
The State University of Zanzibar
Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica
Universidad Laica Eloy Alfaro de Manabí
Borys Grinchenko Kyiv Metropolitan University
Univerzita J. Selyeho
European University Cyprus
Ilia State University (ISU)
Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University
South East European University
Bina Nusantara University
University of the Fraser Valley
University of Rwanda
University of Luxembourg
Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala
University of Cape Coast Ghana
De La Salle University
Riga Technical University
Univerzitet u Sarajevu
Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical
Faculty of Medicine sousse
Universidad de Los Andes, Colombia
Universitatea de Medicina si Farmacie Carol Davila din Bucuresti
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Sapienza Università di Roma
Università degli Studi di Verona
Al-Quds University
Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice
Univerza v Ljubljani
Instituto de Astronomía y Meteorologia de la Universidad de Guadalajara
Southern Federal University
Pannon Egyetem
Universidad del Bio Bio
Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua
Meiji University
King George's Medical University
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski
Universitatea Stefan cel Mare din Suceava
Ain Shams University
Universitatea Lucian Blaga din Sibiu
Universidade Federal do Maranhão
Università degli Studi di Brescia
Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi
Universitat d'Alacant
Kherson State University
Jiaying University
Delta State University Nigeria
Universität Innsbruck
Yamanashi Gakuin University
Universidad Veracruzana
Universidade do Porto
Technical University of Sofia
Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University
Chinese University of Hong Kong
Universitatea din Bucuresti
Atatürk Üniversitesi
Kwame Nkrumah University
Mukuba University
Alberta College
Fan S. Noli University
Applied Sciences Private University
Higher Institute of Health Sciences
Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development
Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology (NEUST)
Universidad Galileo
Universidad Vasco de Quiroga
Facultade de Economía e Empresa, Universidade de A Coruña
College of Education
Faculty of Dentistry - Ain Shams University
University North
Universidad Iberoamericana Puebla
The State University of Zanzibar
Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica
Universidad Laica Eloy Alfaro de Manabí
Borys Grinchenko Kyiv Metropolitan University
Univerzita J. Selyeho
European University Cyprus
Ilia State University (ISU)
Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University
South East European University
Bina Nusantara University
University of the Fraser Valley
University of Rwanda
University of Luxembourg
Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala
University of Cape Coast Ghana
De La Salle University
Riga Technical University
Univerzitet u Sarajevu
Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical
Faculty of Medicine sousse
Universidad de Los Andes, Colombia
Universitatea de Medicina si Farmacie Carol Davila din Bucuresti
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Sapienza Università di Roma
Università degli Studi di Verona
Al-Quds University
Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice
Univerza v Ljubljani
Instituto de Astronomía y Meteorologia de la Universidad de Guadalajara
Southern Federal University
Pannon Egyetem
Universidad del Bio Bio
Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua
Meiji University
King George's Medical University
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski
Universitatea Stefan cel Mare din Suceava
Ain Shams University
Universitatea Lucian Blaga din Sibiu
Universidade Federal do Maranhão
Università degli Studi di Brescia
Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi
Universitat d'Alacant
Kherson State University
Jiaying University
Delta State University Nigeria
Universität Innsbruck
Yamanashi Gakuin University
Universidad Veracruzana
Universidade do Porto
Technical University of Sofia
Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University
Chinese University of Hong Kong
Universitatea din Bucuresti
Atatürk Üniversitesi
Kwame Nkrumah University
Mukuba University
Alberta College
Fan S. Noli University
Applied Sciences Private University
Higher Institute of Health Sciences
Corresponding Author(s)
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
The paper presents the most comprehensive and large-scale global study to date on how higher education students perceived the use of ChatGPT in early 2024. With a sample of 23,218 students from 109 countries and territories, the study reveals that students primarily used ChatGPT for brainstorming, summarizing texts, and finding research articles, with a few using it for professional and creative writing. They found it useful for simplifying complex information and summarizing content, but less reliable for providing information and supporting classroom learning, though some considered its information clearer than that from peers and teachers. Moreover, students agreed on the need for AI regulations at all levels due to concerns about ChatGPT promoting cheating, plagiarism, and social isolation. However, they believed ChatGPT could potentially enhance their access to knowledge and improve their learning experience, study efficiency, and chances of achieving good grades. While ChatGPT was perceived as effective in potentially improving AI literacy, digital communication, and content creation skills, it was less useful for interpersonal communication, decision-making, numeracy, native language proficiency, and the development of critical thinking skills. Students also felt that ChatGPT would boost demand for AI-related skills and facilitate remote work without significantly impacting unemployment. Emotionally, students mostly felt positive using ChatGPT, with curiosity and calmness being the most common emotions. Further examinations reveal variations in students’ perceptions across different socio-demographic and geographic factors, with key factors influencing students’ use of ChatGPT also being identified. Higher education institutions’ managers and teachers may benefit from these findings while formulating the curricula and instructions/regulations for ChatGPT use, as well as when designing the teaching methods and assessment tools. Moreover, policymakers may also consider the findings when formulating strategies for secondary and higher education system development, especially in light of changing labor market needs and related digital skills development.