Danish Gymnasium Students' Experiences with ChatGPT: Learning, Reflection, and Human Values in the Age of Generative AI
Authors
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2025
Submitted on
2025-05-28
Abstract
In this techno-anthropological thesis we examine how Danish gymnasium students experience and engage with ChatGPT as a mediating technology in their learning - shaping their practices, understanding, and relationship to learning. This is based on anthropological fieldwork in two Danish gymnasium classes and a literature study. We introduce a bricolage model, The Ellipse of Technomediated Experience, which integrates theoretical perspectives from Rosa’s theory of resonance, Gadamer’s fusion of horizons, and postphenomenology’s concept of technological mediation. Our analysis reveals that ChatGPT is not merely a neutral tool but an active force that co-constructs the learning environment, influencing how students perceive themselves, their learning processes, and each other. Students often use ChatGPT due to time pressure and cognitive overload, leading to dependency that can undermine metacognitive awareness, critical thinking, and fusion of horizons. Human values such as Identity, Autonomy, Accountability, Ownership, Trust, and Universal usability emerge as central themes, as students navigate blurred boundaries between their own voices and AI-generated content. While ChatGPT offers potential for self-regulated learning, uncritical use may alienate students from their own learning process. To address these challenges, we introduce discussion cards as a dialogical tool to contribute to classroom conversation around GenAI use, fostering a posthuman learning environment.
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