Collaborative Research: AI by 8: A research investigation led by a research-practice partnership on unplugged AI language arts instruction for young children

American Institutes for Research (AIR), North Carolina State University (NCSU), Partner to Improve (PTI), and educators from rural North Carolina school districts aim to establish and nurture a research-practice partnership (RPP), AI by 8, with a mission centered on the belief that every child, regardless of geographic location, deserves to be educated on the fundamentals of artificial intelligence (AI) by 8 years of age. This project highlights a culture of shared learning around early AI education, continuous improvement of the project, and a collaborative environment where researchers and practitioners support and value each others’ contributions and expertise. The project will directly impact 30 teachers and approximately 600 students across rural areas of North Carolina. The project holds significant transformative potential for (1) understanding the factors that impact K-2 teachers’ design and adoption of unplugged AI language arts instruction, (2) formulating emerging practices from teacher professional development to create and locally enact AI-focused English Language Arts (ELA) lessons, and (3) producing theoretical and practical advances in developing a set of K-2 AI lessons, especially for students from rural communities. AI by 8 will build intentional RPP that introduces AI concepts, practices, and perspectives into K-2 elementary classrooms in rural North Carolina communities. Ten rural educators will participate and partner with researchers from AIR and NCSU to learn about the fundamentals of AI and design unplugged ELA lessons. Twenty additional educators will engage with the RPP as AI Implementers, testing the lessons in their classrooms and providing feedback for iterative improvement. The project will tailor its approach to the unique assets of rural districts to collaboratively design at least 20 unplugged lessons for K-2 students that demystify AI concepts. The research questions explored in this project center around (1) facilitators and barriers engaged by K-2 teacher in incorporating AI into their ELA instruction; (2) student engagement within these AI-focused ELA lessons; (3) self-efficacy for teaching AI to K-2 students; and (4) professional development adapted to the needs and assets of the communities served. This project is funded through the Computer Science for All: Research and RPPs program. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.