Abstract:

The rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is profoundly shaping the society we live in. ChatGPT is a chatbot that employs the GPT (Generative Pretrained Transformer) language model to generate responses to user prompts. This AI tool stands out for its user-friendly nature and its easy and widespread accessibility to the public. Studies reveal a positive impact of ChatGPT, for example, in enhancing the quality of education and reducing teachers' workload, with this tool potentially acting as an educational agent, reinforcing learning and providing students with greater access to knowledge. However, it is essential to note that the use of chatbots has some limitations, as they can make errors and inaccuracies, which, in more sensitive areas such as Education, and Physics Education in particular, can lead to additional problems.

In this regard, this exploratory essay aimed to understand Portuguese Physics teachers' perceptions regarding the use of ChatGPT in teaching through a questionnaire developed for this purpose. The questionnaire was validated by two Education experts and then disseminated in teacher groups on social networks. The questionnaire was answered by 15 Physics teachers. Note that in Portugal, the subject of Physics is taught together with the subject of Chemistry by the same teacher. In this study, only Portuguese teachers of Physics and Chemistry were surveyed, whose initial academic training was in the field of Physics. From the responses obtained, it was concluded that around 70% of teachers reported having already used ChatGPT in their professional practice, considering this tool as an asset, for example:
1) in lesson preparation, development of didactic materials, and assessment questions with less effort;
2) in personalizing their teaching practices based on students' specific needs;
3) in stimulating students' creativity; and
4) in developing other skills, such as programming.

More than half of the teachers also mentioned that this tool allows them to reduce their weekly workload. The vast majority of teachers also stated that their students use ChatGPT in an educational context. However, regarding ChatGPT's ability to provide correct information on Physics content, 50% of teachers note that this ability is still moderate (and 25% have not yet formed an opinion). All of them express some concerns about the authorship of the work produced by students, trying to adopt measures to mitigate this issue, such as implementing activities and/or assessments that cannot be easily performed using ChatGPT and promoting discussion about the opportunities and limitations of this learning tool, guiding students towards its ethical and integral use. However, despite these indicators, only a small minority of teachers consider the advantages of using ChatGPT in teaching to outweigh the potential disadvantages arising from its use.

From this reflection, and as almost all surveyed teachers mention, there is an urgent need to develop teacher training actions on the use of AI tools to promote the quality of teaching in general, and Physics teaching in particular.

Keywords:

Artificial Intelligence, Chat GPT, Physics Education, Teachers Perceptions.