Abstract:

The rise of Artificial Intelligence in education has opened up new teaching possibilities, including the use of educational chatbots. This study set out to explore how these tools can support Year 6 pupils in developing the topic “Patterns in Sequences”, particularly in terms of motivation, transversal competences and mathematical understanding.

Twenty-two pupils aged between 11 and 12 took part in this study, which was carried out over six learning sessions supported by chatbots.

The analysis was guided by an exploratory lesson model structured into four phases: task introduction, task development, discussion and consolidation.

Findings drawn, from the triangulation of test results, motivation questionnaires and an interview with the cooperating teacher, show that the use of chatbots encouraged pupils’ active engagement, supported the construction of mathematical reasoning, strengthened autonomy and helped them gradually grasp more abstract ideas.

Pupils demonstrated high levels of involvement and enjoyment from the very first session, a trend that remained stable or even increased up to the fifth session. Questionnaire responses also highlighted strong motivation, persistence and effort associated with using the chatbot. Collaboration results were more mixed, reflecting classroom dynamics rather than any limitations of the tasks; nevertheless, pupils’ autonomy showed clear growth, particularly in sessions 4 and 5.

The interview with the class teacher was examined using content analysis, allowing the responses to be grouped into themes aligned with the research focus. These included the relevance of the topic, the benefits and constraints of using chatbots, their impact on pupil motivation and performance, and their contribution to competence and mathematical development. In both interview moments, the teacher expressed a strong belief in the educational value of chatbots, describing the theme as “highly relevant”. She emphasised their potential to adapt content to individual needs, provide immediate feedback and support learning, recognising their usefulness and timeliness in mathematics education.

As for pupils’ performance, test results showed an overall improvement, with scores rising from 82% in the pre-test to 89% in the post-test, confirming the positive effect of the approach.

Overall, the study highlights the potential of chatbots to foster more personalised, reflective and meaningful learning, in line with an exploratory teaching practice aimed at supporting pupils’ holistic development.

Keywords:

Educational chatbots, patterns in mathematics sequences, motivation, mathematics education, 6th grade students.