A new Nigerian study published on September 25, 2026, is examining how artificial intelligence is affecting the way secondary school students learn, revise and complete academic work. The research looked beyond AI as an assignment shortcut and examined its relationship with academic performance and study habits.
Published in the International Journal of Education and Evaluation, the study involved 250 Senior Secondary School II students selected through simple random sampling from public secondary schools. Researchers used an AI-Assisted Learning and Academic Behaviour Questionnaire alongside students’ academic records. Experts reviewed the questionnaire, and its reliability was reported at 0.82 using Cronbach’s alpha.
What the Nigerian study found
The findings indicate that AI-assisted learning tools can support students in several practical areas. Respondents said AI helped them understand difficult concepts, provided useful explanations and supported better performance in tests and assignments. The study recorded a grand mean of 3.37 for academic performance.
Students also reported changes in their study habits. AI helped them manage study time, study more independently, access learning materials when needed, and improve note-taking and revision. The study recorded a grand mean of 3.33 for study habits.
The researchers compared students who used AI with those who did not. AI users recorded an average academic performance score of 68.45, while non-users recorded 61.30. The reported independent t-test indicated a statistically significant difference between the groups. For study habits, AI users had a mean score of 3.41, compared with 2.87 among non-users, and the difference was also reported as statistically significant.
For a student struggling with a difficult topic, an AI tool can explain the subject in simpler terms, provide examples or help organise revision. That convenience can make studying more accessible. The findings should be read within the study’s scope.
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The benefits come with clear concerns
The study also found concerns about how AI may change learning when students rely on it too heavily. Respondents acknowledged the risk of depending on AI for assignments, reduced critical thinking, using generated content without fully understanding it, reduced study effort and academic dishonesty.
Over-reliance on AI for assignments recorded the greatest concern, with a mean of 3.45. The concern about reduced critical thinking recorded 3.12, while using AI without fully understanding content recorded 3.28.
These findings present a challenge for schools. AI can explain lessons, provide practice materials and offer quick feedback, but the educational benefit can become weaker when the technology replaces a student’s own effort to reason and solve problems.
The researchers recommended clearer guidelines for AI use, training for students, activities that strengthen critical thinking and monitoring by teachers and parents.
A separate study published the same day in Springer’s Discover Education explored AI use among 12 undergraduates from six federal universities representing Nigeria’s geopolitical zones. It found benefits including quicker access to academic materials, independent study and tailored explanations, while identifying misleading AI information, inadequate AI literacy and overdependence as challenges. The researchers stressed that the small qualitative sample provides exploratory insight rather than broadly generalisable conclusions.
Back story: Why AI is changing education
Artificial intelligence has moved quickly from a specialist technology to a familiar academic tool. Students now use conversational AI for explanations, research support, writing assistance and revision, especially as AI becomes more common in classrooms. That shift is creating a new question for Nigerian schools: how should students use AI without allowing it to replace the learning itself?
The latest study suggests that AI is influencing practical parts of studying, including time management, independent learning, access to educational resources and revision. At the same time, it shows that students recognise the dangers of becoming too dependent on the technology.
For Nigerian parents, teachers and school administrators, the conversation is broader than banning or permitting AI. Students need the skills to question AI responses, verify information and understand lessons rather than simply copy what a tool produces.
The researchers concluded that AI-assisted learning can be valuable when properly guided, with structured use in schools and continued emphasis on critical thinking. As AI becomes more common in Nigerian education, the focus may increasingly be on using it without losing the habits that make learning meaningful.
