DOI - Mendel University Press

DOI identifiers

DOI: 10.11118/978-80-7701-087-0-0252

LEARNING GAINS AND STUDENT RESERVATIONS: EVALUATING A GPT-BASED AI ASSISTANT IN GEOGRAPHY TEACHING

Emil Drápela1
1 Department of Geography, Faculty of Science, Humanities and Education, Technical University of Liberec, Czechia


This study examines the educational potential of a GPT-based AI assistant designed to support university geography students in practising geographical relationships, developing geographical thinking, and improving their ability to explain geographical topics clearly and accurately. The assistant was implemented in an experimental teaching setting involving four seminar groups: two received access to the AI tool, while the remaining two followed standard instruction without it. Student performance was evaluated through a pre-test/post-test design. The results indicate that students who used the AI assistant achieved significantly better learning outcomes than those in the control group. At the same time, the findings reveal an important tension between effectiveness and acceptance: despite improved performance, 54% of students using the AI assistant reported a preference for conventional teaching. This apparent paradox suggests that measurable learning gains do not automatically translate into positive student attitudes toward AI-supported learning. The study discusses two possible explanations for this result: first, the relational and affective dimensions of teaching, including teacher friendliness, empathy, and interpersonal support; and second, the AI assistant’s strictness, particularly its tendency to reject imprecise or insufficiently accurate answers. 

Keywords: geography education, GPT-based AI assistant, geographical thinking, learning outcomes, student perceptions

pages: 252-255, Published: 2026, online: 2026



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