Exploring the impact of GAI-assisted feedback on pre-service teachers’ situational engagement and performance in inquiry-based online discussion

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) enables engagement in logical and meaningful conversations with humans. This quasi-experimental study explored how incorporating GAI into inquiry-based online discussions affected pre-service teachers’ situational engagement, knowledge-building performance, and cognitive load. Participants were assigned to an experimental group equipped with a GAI chatbot for feedback during discussions, and a control group. Both groups were divided into smaller groups for conducting inquiry-based online discussions, and quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analysed. Results show that: (1) GAI-assisted feedback significantly enhanced behavioural and social engagement and knowledge-building performance; (2) no significant difference was found in groups’ cognitive and emotional engagement and post-course written summaries; (3) GAI-assisted feedback did not increase participants’ cognitive load significantly; (4) GAI-assisted feedback helped generate new ideas, facilitate social interaction, and enhance discussion and presentation skills. The integration of GAI-assisted feedback may support cognitive and social development within inquiry-based online discussions. Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.