A scoping review of the integration of artificial intelligence in primary and secondary schools from 2020 to 2024: Policy implications for South Africa
South Africa's education system struggles with challenges highlighted by low student performance in global assessments. Based on Bloom's (1984) personalised instruction model and the Arksey and O'Malley (2005) methodology, this scoping review explores how artificial intelligence (AI)...
Saved in:
| Published in | Journal of education (Durban) no. 98; pp. 62 - 85 |
|---|---|
| Main Authors | , , , , |
| Format | Journal Article |
| Language | English Portuguese |
| Published |
University of KwaZulu-Natal on behalf of the South African Education Research Association
28.03.2025
|
| Subjects | |
| Online Access | Get full text |
| ISSN | 0259-479X 2520-9868 2520-9868 |
| DOI | 10.17159/2520-9868/i98a04 |
Cover
| Abstract | South Africa's education system struggles with challenges highlighted by low student performance in global assessments. Based on Bloom's (1984) personalised instruction model and the Arksey and O'Malley (2005) methodology, this scoping review explores how artificial intelligence (AI) can enhance educational outcomes in South Africa. This analysis of international applications and their implications for South Africa involved a scoping review of SpringerLink, ScienceDirect, Mendeley, and Taylor & Francis databases to identify primary studies on AI in education from 2020 to 2024. Data from 33 articles were charted and summarised according to the research questions. Key findings highlight the potential of AI to provide personalised learning experiences, enhance inclusivity, and support special needs education. However, infrastructure deficiencies pose significant barriers. Effective AI deployment requires educators to develop technical skills and understand AI ethics to address biases and privacy issues. Implications for policy are discussed. |
|---|---|
| AbstractList | South Africa's education system struggles with challenges highlighted by low student performance in global assessments. Based on Bloom's (1984) personalised instruction model and the Arksey and O'Malley (2005) methodology, this scoping review explores how artificial intelligence (AI) can enhance educational outcomes in South Africa. This analysis of international applications and their implications for South Africa involved a scoping review of SpringerLink, ScienceDirect, Mendeley, and Taylor & Francis databases to identify primary studies on AI in education from 2020 to 2024. Data from 33 articles were charted and summarised according to the research questions. Key findings highlight the potential of AI to provide personalised learning experiences, enhance inclusivity, and support special needs education. However, infrastructure deficiencies pose significant barriers. Effective AI deployment requires educators to develop technical skills and understand AI ethics to address biases and privacy issues. Implications for policy are discussed. |
| Author | Chetty, Krish Saal, Petronella Elize Moosa, Tahiya Ntshayintshayi, Nothando Masuku, Nondumiso |
| AuthorAffiliation | Human Sciences Research Council |
| AuthorAffiliation_xml | – name: Human Sciences Research Council |
| Author_xml | – sequence: 1 givenname: Petronella Elize orcidid: 0000-0003-3338-5392 surname: Saal fullname: Saal, Petronella Elize – sequence: 2 givenname: Krish orcidid: 0000-0003-2731-3560 surname: Chetty fullname: Chetty, Krish – sequence: 3 givenname: Nothando orcidid: 0000-0001-6604-1057 surname: Ntshayintshayi fullname: Ntshayintshayi, Nothando – sequence: 4 givenname: Tahiya orcidid: 0000-0002-6753-4651 surname: Moosa fullname: Moosa, Tahiya – sequence: 5 givenname: Nondumiso orcidid: 0009-0006-3933-1802 surname: Masuku fullname: Masuku, Nondumiso |
| BookMark | eNo9UdtqAjEUDKWFWusH9C0_sJrLxiR9E-kNCi3YQt_CmotG1kSStcUv6e82q9KHMGTOmUzOnBtwGWKwANxhNMYcMzkhjKBKiqmYeCkaVF-AwT91CQaIMFnVXH5dg1HOG4QQQYgVGIDfGcw67nxYwWS_vf2B0cFubaEPnV2lpvMx9FSTOu-89k17rLStX9mg-za4S37bpANsgoHZ6hhMf8t6HWOboUtxC0kxhF3ssb6H77H1-gD9dlfw6FDaYoKLuO_WcOZSYW_BlWvabEdnHILPx4eP-XP1-vb0Mp-9VhqTuq4sNZxTS8WSCy05RsIYySjTBi-xc4ZIWtdIEFFr4qSZOmYajBw3lGrDDaFDMD69m7W3bVSbuE-hGKpFH6DqAyyf7rPC5SBWBPgk0CnmnKxT5_kVRuq4DfWvVKdt0D9gLH3c |
| ContentType | Journal Article |
| Copyright | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. |
| Copyright_xml | – notice: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. |
| DBID | AAYXX CITATION GPN |
| DOI | 10.17159/2520-9868/i98a04 |
| DatabaseName | CrossRef SciELO |
| DatabaseTitle | CrossRef |
| DatabaseTitleList | CrossRef |
| DeliveryMethod | fulltext_linktorsrc |
| Discipline | Education |
| EISSN | 2520-9868 |
| EndPage | 85 |
| ExternalDocumentID | S2520_98682025000100005 10_17159_2520_9868_i98a04 |
| GroupedDBID | 1RJ AAYXX ABXHO ACJDM ADBBV ALMA_UNASSIGNED_HOLDINGS APOWU CITATION GROUPED_DOAJ M~E RFP SCSAF SCVUT 6SC GPN |
| ID | FETCH-LOGICAL-c1244-e3d773e38b78c97108dd9535cd1b1ffd2934408284c2f9d6f5da10f7d33cd7d23 |
| ISSN | 0259-479X 2520-9868 |
| IngestDate | Tue Sep 16 20:45:10 EDT 2025 Sun Jul 06 05:03:19 EDT 2025 |
| IsDoiOpenAccess | true |
| IsOpenAccess | true |
| IsPeerReviewed | true |
| IsScholarly | true |
| Issue | 98 |
| Keywords | AI South Africa education scoping review |
| Language | English Portuguese |
| License | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 |
| LinkModel | OpenURL |
| MergedId | FETCHMERGED-LOGICAL-c1244-e3d773e38b78c97108dd9535cd1b1ffd2934408284c2f9d6f5da10f7d33cd7d23 |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-6604-1057 0000-0002-6753-4651 0000-0003-3338-5392 0000-0003-2731-3560 0009-0006-3933-1802 |
| OpenAccessLink | http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2520-9868/i98a04 |
| PageCount | 24 |
| ParticipantIDs | scielo_journals_S2520_98682025000100005 crossref_primary_10_17159_2520_9868_i98a04 |
| PublicationCentury | 2000 |
| PublicationDate | 2025-03-28 |
| PublicationDateYYYYMMDD | 2025-03-28 |
| PublicationDate_xml | – month: 03 year: 2025 text: 2025-03-28 day: 28 |
| PublicationDecade | 2020 |
| PublicationTitle | Journal of education (Durban) |
| PublicationTitleAlternate | Journal of Education |
| PublicationYear | 2025 |
| Publisher | University of KwaZulu-Natal on behalf of the South African Education Research Association |
| Publisher_xml | – name: University of KwaZulu-Natal on behalf of the South African Education Research Association |
| References | Relmasira, S. C.; Lai, Y. C.; Donaldson, J. P. 2023; 15 Park, W.; Kwon, H. 2024; 34 Wang, T.; Cheng, E. C. K. 2021; 2 Lee, Y. J.; Davis, R. O.; Ryu, J. 2024; 14 Liu, T. 2023; 4 Arksey, H.; O'Malley, L. 2005; 8 Lin, R.; Yang, J.; Jiang, F.; Li, J. 2022; 28 Sanusi, I. T.; Oyelere, S. S.; Omidiora, J. O. 2022; 3 Zhang, X.; Tlili, A.; Shubeck, K.; Hu, X.; Huang, R.; Zhu, L. 2021; 8 Ouyang, F.; Jiao, P. 2021; 2 Cope, B.; Kalantzis, M.; Searsmith, D. 2021; 53 Lee, G. G.; Latif, E.; Wu, X.; Liu, N.; Zhai, X. 2024; 6 Ojha, S. T. 2022; 6 Selim, K. S.; Rezk, S. S. 2023; 28 Park, J.; Teo, T. W.; Teo, A.; Chang, J.; Huang, J. S.; Koo, S. 2023; 10 Ali, S.; DiPaola, D.; Lee, I.; Sindato, V.; Kim, G.; Blumofe, R.; Breazeal, C. 2021; 2 Bloom, B. 1984; 13 Keerthiwansha, N. W. B. S. 2018; 6 Srinivasan, V.; Murthy, H. 2021; 2 Garg, S.; Sharma, S. 2020; 10 Su, J. 2024; 34 Yue, M.; Jong, M. S. Y.; Ng, D. T. K. 2024; 29 Celik, I.; Dindar, M.; Muukkonen, H.; Järvelä, S. 2022; 66 Matsuda, N.; Weng, W.; Wall, N. 2020; 30 Moorhouse, B. L. 2024; 6 de Araujo, A.; Papadopoulos, P. M.; McKenney, S.; de Jong, T. 2023; 4 Diwan, C.; Srinivasa, S.; Suri, G.; Agarwal, S.; Ram, P. 2023; 4 Chen, C. M.; Wang, J. Y.; Hsu, L. C. 2021; Artificial Intelligence Kim, K.; Kwon, K. 2023; 4 Chisango, G.; Marongwe, N. 2021; 82 Ahuja, N. J.; Dutt, S.; Choudhary, S. L.; Kumar, M. 2022; 41 Hays, L.; Jurkowski, O.; Sims, S. K. 2024; 68 Abbasi, M. U. R.; Zulfiqar, A.; Rasool, M. S.; Quadri, S. S. A. 2024; 11 Chounta, I. A.; Bardone, E.; Raudsep, A.; Pedaste, M. 2022; 32 Gocen, A.; Aydemir, F. 2020; 12 El Naggar, A.; Gaad, E.; Inocencio, S. A. M. 2024; 147 Ayanwale, M. A.; Sanusi, I. T.; Adelana, O. P.; Aruleba, K. D.; Oyelere, S. S. 2022; 3 Matope, J. 2021; 10 Tammets, K.; Ley, T. 2023; 6 Zaman, B.; Sharma, A.; Ram, C.; Kushwah, R.; Muradia, R.; Warjri, A.; Lyngdoh, D. K.; Lyngdoh, M. K. 2023; 11 Essel, H. B.; Vlachopoulos, D.; Essuman, A. B.; Amankwa, J. O. 2024; 6 Hwang, G. J.; Xie, H.; Wah, B. W.; Gašević, D. 2020; 1 Meyer, J.; Jansen, T.; Schiller, R.; Liebenow, L. W.; Steinbach, M.; Horbach, A.; Fleckenstein, J. 2024; 6 Ali, S. G. A. 2020; 75 Kim, K.; Kwon, K. 2024; 33 Harry, A. 2023; 2 Dijikers, M. 2015; 4 Graham, M. A. 2023; 27 Misiejuk, K.; Kaliisa, R.; Scianna, J. 2024; 6 |
| References_xml | – volume: 6 year: 2024 article-title: Using LLMs to bring evidence-based feedback into the classroom: AI-generated feedback increases secondary students' text revision, motivation, and positive emotions publication-title: Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence – volume: 3 year: 2022 article-title: Exploring teachers' preconceptions of teaching machine learning in high school: A preliminary insight from Africa publication-title: Computers and Education Open – volume: 6 year: 2024 article-title: ChatGPT effects on cognitive skills of undergraduate students: Receiving instant responses from AI-based conversational large language models (LLMs) publication-title: Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence – volume: 75 year: 2020 article-title: Using an artificial intelligence application for developing primary school pupils' oral language skills publication-title: Journal of Education – volume: 3 year: 2022 article-title: Teachers' readiness and intention to teach artificial intelligence in schools publication-title: Computers in Education: Artificial Intelligence – volume: 1 year: 2020 article-title: Vision, challenges, roles and research issues of artificial intelligence in education publication-title: Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence – volume: 28 start-page: 2845 year: 2022 end-page: 2867 article-title: Does teacher's data literacy and digital teaching competence influence empowering students in the classroom?: Evidence from China publication-title: Education and Information Technologies – volume: 8 start-page: 1 year: 2021 end-page: 20 article-title: Teachers' adoption of an open and interactive e-book for teaching K-12 students artificial intelligence: A mixed methods inquiry publication-title: Smart Learning Environments – volume: 6 year: 2024 article-title: Applying large language models and chain-of-thought for automatic scoring publication-title: Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence – volume: 32 start-page: 725 issue: 3 year: 2022 end-page: 755 article-title: Exploring teachers' perceptions of artificial intelligence as a tool to support their practice in Estonian K-12 education publication-title: International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education – volume: 12 start-page: 13 issue: 1 year: 2020 end-page: 21 article-title: Artificial intelligence in education and schools publication-title: Research on Education and Media – volume: 10 start-page: 61 issue: 1 year: 2023 article-title: Integrating artificial intelligence into science lessons: Teachers' experiences and views publication-title: International Journal of STEM Education – volume: 6 start-page: 100216 year: 2024 article-title: Augmenting assessment with AI coding of online student discourse: A question of reliability publication-title: Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence – volume: 8 start-page: 19 issue: 1 year: 2005 end-page: 32 article-title: Scoping studies: Towards a methodological framework publication-title: International Journal of Social Research Methodology – volume: 2 year: 2021 article-title: An investigation of barriers to Hong Kong K-12 schools incorporating artificial intelligence in education publication-title: Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence – volume: 27 start-page: 169 issue: 2 year: 2023 end-page: 179 article-title: Overcrowded classrooms and their association with South African students' mathematics achievement publication-title: African Journal of Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education – volume: 10 start-page: 33 issue: 2 year: 2021 end-page: 46 article-title: Making wine without grapes: The case for quality teaching with limited resources publication-title: Educational Research for Social Change – volume: 6 start-page: 31 issue: 1 year: 2018 end-page: 36 article-title: Artificial intelligence education (AIEd) in English as a second language (ESL) classroom in Sri Lanka publication-title: Artificial Intelligence – volume: 15 start-page: 13595 issue: 18 year: 2023 article-title: Fostering AI literacy in elementary science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) education in the age of generative AI. publication-title: Sustainability – volume: 2 year: 2021 article-title: Artificial intelligence in education: The three paradigms publication-title: Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence – volume: 29 start-page: 19505 year: 2024 end-page: 19536 article-title: Understanding K-12 teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge readiness and attitudes toward artificial intelligence education publication-title: Education and Information Technologies – volume: 33 start-page: 1 issue: 1 year: 2024 end-page: 29 article-title: A systematic review of the evaluation in K-12 artificial intelligence education from 2013 to 2022 publication-title: Interactive Learning Environments – volume: 4 year: 2023 article-title: Automated coding of student chats, a trans-topic and language approach publication-title: Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence – volume: 11 start-page: 73 issue: 1 year: 2024 end-page: 91 article-title: Impact of AI on the inclusion of students with special needs: Public policy perspective in contemporary scenario publication-title: Arbor – volume: 2 year: 2021 article-title: Children as creators, thinkers and citizens in an AI-driven future publication-title: Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence – volume: 2 start-page: 260 issue: 3 year: 2023 end-page: 268 article-title: Role of AI in education publication-title: Interdisciplinary Journal and Humanity – volume: 82 start-page: 149 year: 2021 end-page: 165 article-title: The digital divide at three disadvantaged secondary schools in Gauteng, South Africa publication-title: Journal of Education – volume: 53 start-page: 1229 issue: 12 year: 2021 end-page: 1245 article-title: Artificial intelligence for education: Knowledge and its assessment in AI-enabled learning ecologies publication-title: Educational Philosophy and Theory – volume: 4 start-page: 100115 year: 2023 article-title: AI proctoring for offline examinations with 2-longitudinal-stream convolutional neural networks publication-title: Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence – volume: 41 start-page: 1804 issue: 3 year: 2022 end-page: 1816 article-title: Intelligent tutoring system in education for disabled students using human-computer interaction and augmented reality publication-title: International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction – volume: 34 start-page: 109 issue: 1 year: 2024 end-page: 135 article-title: Implementing artificial intelligence education for middle school technology education in Republic of Korea publication-title: International journal of Technology and Design Education – volume: 68 start-page: 281 issue: 2 year: 2024 end-page: 294 article-title: ChatGPT in K-12 education publication-title: TechTrends – volume: 4 start-page: 100137 year: 2023 article-title: Exploring the AI competencies of elementary school teachers in South Korea publication-title: Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence – volume: 6 year: 2023 article-title: Integrating AI tools in teacher professional learning: A conceptual model and illustrative case publication-title: Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence – volume: 14 issue: 2 year: 2024 article-title: Korean in-service teachers' perceptions of implementing artificial intelligence (AI) education for teaching in schools and their AI teacher training programs publication-title: International Journal of Information and Education Technology – volume: 66 start-page: 616 issue: 4 year: 2022 end-page: 630 article-title: The promises and challenges of artificial intelligence for teachers: A systematic review of research publication-title: TechTrends – volume: 147 year: 2024 article-title: Enhancing inclusive education in the UAE: Integrating AI for diverse learning needs publication-title: Research in Developmental Disabilities – volume: 4 year: 2023 article-title: AI-based learning content generation and learning pathway augmentation to increase student engagement publication-title: Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence – volume: 30 start-page: 1 issue: 1 year: 2020 end-page: 37 article-title: The effect of metacognitive scaffolding for learning by teaching a teachable agent publication-title: International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education – volume: 6 start-page: 8341 issue: 6 year: 2022 end-page: 8345 article-title: Artificial intelligence in special education, Id & Cp. publication-title: Journal of Positive School Psychology – volume: 10 start-page: 523 issue: 7 year: 2020 end-page: 527 article-title: Impact of artificial intelligence in special need education to promote inclusive pedagogy publication-title: International Journal of Information and Education Technology – volume: 34 start-page: 1665 year: 2024 end-page: 1685 article-title: Kindergarten teachers' perceptions of AI literacy education for young children publication-title: International Journal of Technology and Design Education – volume: 11 start-page: 1181 year: 2023 end-page: 1214 article-title: Modeling education impact: A machine learning-based approach for improving the quality of school education publication-title: Journal of Computers in Education – volume: 13 start-page: 4 issue: 6 year: 1984 end-page: 16 article-title: The 2 sigma problem: The search for methods of group instruction as effective as one-to-one tutoring publication-title: Educational Researcher – volume: Artificial Intelligence start-page: 2 year: 2021 article-title: An interactive test dashboard with diagnosis and feedback mechanisms to facilitate learning performance publication-title: Computers and Education – volume: 6 year: 2024 article-title: Beginning and first-year language teachers' readiness for the generative AI age publication-title: Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence – volume: 2 year: 2021 article-title: Improving reading and comprehension in K-12: Evidence from a large-scale AI technology intervention in India publication-title: Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence – volume: 4 issue: 1 year: 2015 article-title: What is a scoping review? publication-title: KT Update – volume: 28 start-page: 9235 issue: 7 year: 2023 end-page: 9266 article-title: On predicting school dropouts in Egypt: A machine learning approach publication-title: Education and Information Technologies |
| SSID | ssj0002005000 |
| Score | 2.2869503 |
| Snippet | South Africa's education system struggles with challenges highlighted by low student performance in global assessments. Based on Bloom's (1984) personalised... |
| SourceID | scielo crossref |
| SourceType | Open Access Repository Index Database |
| StartPage | 62 |
| SubjectTerms | Education & Educational Research Education, Scientific Disciplines Education, Special |
| Title | A scoping review of the integration of artificial intelligence in primary and secondary schools from 2020 to 2024: Policy implications for South Africa |
| URI | http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2520-98682025000100005&lng=en&tlng=en |
| hasFullText | 1 |
| inHoldings | 1 |
| isFullTextHit | |
| isPrint | |
| link | http://utb.summon.serialssolutions.com/2.0.0/link/0/eLvHCXMwnV1La9wwEBbbtIdeSp80fYQ5FAoNbmLLsqXelrQlFNJLNrA3I0s2uxBiWHsP6aF_I38tP6czkvxISaDpxQ-xO6x2PqRvRvNg7EOdZTpJhY7i3CZooIgk0sLwSJi0kipTNna9CE5-Zsdn6Y-lWM5m15OopW1Xfja_bs0r-R-t4hjqlbJk76HZQSgO4DPqF6-oYbz-k47n-5RUQsb-mIFCRLKvARHIIH0zFIpYTytwUgB5KDbh3OdkG1t6a11pztbnniRI9Yih4j0l_4GvJEzplWMoOsUqumZ8-77v0B2Ut-qjSYjXft1uSvK-Dp6IU63PQ8jwpqHoG-2CzgbkHa2qzrcwoJVpdGN37Upf4sTczZ9FufOAZgBT07SOIy_0an2pp46ORFCkVzJZm3FIkSNw6bcuN5YItH6VzOQEqr6rdViQw1IftnZx66aRI6WjxJheFj6vldS-LfLNEt1_bZ1DQCOZUiSmICEFCSm8iAfsYZLnLoDg5Pfo_SNf3qHPj-pnFY7cScrB8FMOvJQbpOkRcaPzKQ1aPGVPgjJh7sH4jM2qi-fU-jso9gW7mkMAJXhQQlMDghImoKShEZQwBSW-QAAloA5hACUEUAKBEgiU0DV0T7-AhyRMIQkISXCQBA_Jl-zs-7fF0XEUun9EhjhnVHGb57zissylUUiEpbVKcGFsXMZ1bZGnum7pMjVJrWxWC6vjwzq3nBuLCw9_xXYuEK2vGSi02-nEPK1inXJealtaU8pc10aSP2GXfer_3iJMsbhTo7vso1dAEVaCtjgdPkO4JbOJaKB4cx-xb9njEfTv2E632Vbvke925Z7zE-05AP0BzoKphQ |
| linkProvider | ISSN International Centre |
| openUrl | ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fsummon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=A+scoping+review+of+the+integration+of+artificial+intelligence+in+primary+and+secondary+schools+from+2020+to+2024%3A+Policy+implications+for+South+Africa&rft.jtitle=Journal+of+education+%28Durban%29&rft.au=Saal%2C+Petronella+Elize&rft.au=Chetty%2C+Krish&rft.au=Ntshayintshayi%2C+Nothando&rft.au=Moosa%2C+Tahiya&rft.date=2025-03-28&rft.issn=0259-479X&rft.eissn=2520-9868&rft.issue=98&rft.spage=62&rft.epage=85&rft_id=info:doi/10.17159%2F2520-9868%2Fi98a04&rft.externalDBID=n%2Fa&rft.externalDocID=10_17159_2520_9868_i98a04 |
| thumbnail_l | http://covers-cdn.summon.serialssolutions.com/index.aspx?isbn=/lc.gif&issn=0259-479X&client=summon |
| thumbnail_m | http://covers-cdn.summon.serialssolutions.com/index.aspx?isbn=/mc.gif&issn=0259-479X&client=summon |
| thumbnail_s | http://covers-cdn.summon.serialssolutions.com/index.aspx?isbn=/sc.gif&issn=0259-479X&client=summon |