THE USE OF DIGITAL TOOLS AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN CHESS LESSONS: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS

Abstract

This article describes a classroom experience in which digital tools and artificial intelligence were incorporated into school chess lessons and examines how students perceived that experience. The study was carried out at Yerevan Basic School No. 143 named after Movses Khorenatsi. During the teaching period, students worked with interactive digital materials, AI-based tools, videos, and project assignments, including activities created with Canva. At the end of the experience, students completed a questionnaire. The database contained 80 responses, although the number of valid responses to individual questions ranged from 77 to 78.

Overall, students responded very positively to the technology-enriched chess lessons. Among those who answered the relevant questions, 94.8% said that they liked or very much liked the lessons; 88.3% reported that digital tools made the chess material much easier and clearer; and 83.1% said that the computer program immediately pointed out an incorrect move and helped them understand the mistake. Project work in Canva or a similar format was described by 81.8% of respondents as very interesting and helpful for remembering the lesson.

At the same time, the study did not include a control group, pre- and post-testing of knowledge, or standardized measures. The findings should therefore be interpreted as evidence of students’ perceptions and learning experience rather than as proof of a causal effect of the technologies themselves.