A DANCE BETWEEN ORDER AND CHAOS: AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW ON THE CONVERSATIONS AND CASES OF GENAI’S DUAL ROLE IN EDUCATION
Abstract
ChatGPT and its allied technologies have introduced a state of “educational chaos,” igniting widespread discussions about the dual potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in education; both beneficial (order) and detrimental (chaos). Although ChatGPT has recently celebrated its second anniversary, conversations surrounding its educational applications show no signs of waning. Significant developments have emerged across three main dimensions involving teacher instructional strategies and student learning, institutional policies, and research practices. However, there are limited studies that present useful cases capturing these three areas within a single study. Using an integrative review approach, the study first identifies key dialogues on the contentious role of advanced AI technologies in education and secondly reports actual interesting cases of its use in education across the three domains. A total of 21 articles sourced from Web of Science (WoS) and Google Scholar published between 2023 and 2024 were critically analysed. The chaos theory by Edward Lorenz served as a useful framework for understanding the complexities surrounding GenAI’s impact on education and how human ingenuity has leveraged technology for various tasks. The findings reveal that while ChatGPT enhances personalised learning, supports instructional design, and streamlines research, it also presents challenges such as academic integrity, over-reliance on AI-generated content, and the risk of misinformation. Institutional responses range from outright bans to adaptive policies integrating AI literacy and ethical guidelines. It is recommended that a safe and cautious approach be employed in integrating GenAI into education to maximise its full benefits and subsequently reduce its potential harmful effects.
Keywords: artificial intelligence, chatbot, ChatGPT, chaos theory, technologies
Date of submission: 7th, March 2025; Date of acceptance: 19th, October 2025
Date of publication: 14th November, 2025
url:
*Corresponding author: Michael Agyemang Adarkwah, michael.agyemang.adarkwah@uni-jena.de
Citation: www.mjdesjournal.com
Arkaifie, S. J., Adarkwah, M. A., Amponsah, S. & Nkansah, J. O. (2025). A dance between order and chaos: an integrative review on the conversations and cases of GenAi’s dual role in education.
Multidisciplinary Journal of Distance Education Studies, 2025, 3(1), 1-37.
