Can generative AI further the classroom interactional justice?

This paper aimed to explore the effectiveness of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in improving classroom interactional justice. This experiment employed a within-subjects design, where twenty students first completed tasks under control condition with the assistance of a teacher, and then completed tasks under experimental condition with the assistance of the GenAI. The data we collected included students’ perception of classroom interactional justice, the opportunity justice in classroom interactions involving the interaction frequency and the quantity of interaction content, and task scores. The results showed that the perception of classroom interactional justice among students in the teacher group was significantly higher than that of the GenAI group. However, the interaction frequency and the quantity of interaction content in the GenAI group were significantly higher than those of the teacher group. In addition, students achieved significantly higher task scores with the assistance of GenAI. This study emphasizes the potential of GenAI in improving classroom interactional justice and offers implications for the utilization of GenAI in education.