Abstract:

Generative artificial intelligence (GAI) is attracting growing attention for its potential roles in project-based learning (PBL). However, there is still limited evidence on how teachers and students actually use GAI in authentic PBL classrooms, and how students interact with GAI during the learning process. This study examines GAI use in PBL and proposes a teacher–student dual-layer nested framework that integrates roles, technologies, functions, and interaction patterns. Based on a coding analysis of 18 classroom episodes captured at the product-construction stage of AI-enhanced PBL, we found that teachers primarily positioned GAI as a mentor and a learning partner. Teachers’ use of GAI was mainly situated at the transformation level, with assessment and feedback as the dominant function. Students’ interactions with GAI exhibited a high degree of autonomy. Building on these findings, we discuss implications for human–AI collaboration in the development of GAI-PBL, teachers’ TPACK professional growth, and the cultivation of student agency.

Key words: GAI, PBL, classroom research