Influence of Artificial Intelligence on Academic Performance of Students in Private Secondary School in Ikwo Local Government Area of Eboyi State

ERCT Criteria Breakdown

• Level 1 Criteria

  • C

    Class-level RCT

    • The study is a descriptive survey using a questionnaire, not an RCT, and no randomisation of classes or students to conditions was performed.
    • "This study will adopt a descriptive survey research design."
    • Relevant Quotes: 1) "A descriptive survey design was adopted, targeting students in private secondary schools, with data collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using mean and standard deviation." (Abstract, p. 1) 2) "This study will adopt a descriptive survey research design. The descriptive survey design is appropriate because it enables the systematic collection of data from a defined population in order to describe and analyze existing conditions, experiences, and relationships as they occur naturally, without manipulation of variables." (Methodology, p. 5) 3) "The study will use a combination of purposive and simple random sampling techniques to select participants ... simple random sampling will be used to select students to participate in the study, ensuring that each eligible student has an equal chance of selection." (p. 5) Detailed Analysis: Criterion C requires the study to be a Randomised Controlled Trial conducted at the class level (or stronger), with randomisation to intervention and control conditions clearly described. This paper is explicitly a descriptive survey conducted "without manipulation of variables." There is no intervention delivered and no allocation of classes or students to treatment versus control groups. The only mention of "random" sampling refers to selecting respondents for a survey, not random assignment to experimental conditions. There is no unit of randomisation in the RCT sense. Criterion C is not met because the study is a descriptive survey with no randomisation to intervention and control conditions.
  • E

    Exam-based Assessment

    • Outcomes were measured with a researcher-designed Likert-scale questionnaire of self-reported perceptions, not a standardised exam.
    • "The instrument for data collection in this study will be a structured questionnaire ... Each item on the questionnaire will be scored using the 4-point Likert scale."
    • Relevant Quotes: 1) "The instrument for data collection in this study will be a structured questionnaire titled 'Influence of Artificial Intelligence on Academic Performance Of Students In Private Secondary School in Ikwo Local Government Area Of Ebonyi State." (p. 6) 2) "The questionnaire will undergo both content and face validation by experts in the department of Arts and Social Science Education of Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki..." (p. 6) 3) "Each item on the questionnaire will be scored using the 4-point Likert scale, with values ranging from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 4 (Strongly Agree)." (p. 7) Detailed Analysis: Criterion E requires that outcomes be measured using a standardised, widely recognised exam-based assessment, not an instrument created for the study. Here the outcome instrument is a custom-built structured questionnaire of self-reported perceptions, validated by departmental experts and scored on a Likert scale. No standardised or national exam was used; indeed academic performance is captured only through students' self-reported agreement statements, not through any objective examination. Criterion E is not met because the study relied on a custom-designed self-report questionnaire rather than a standardised exam-based assessment.
  • T

    Term Duration

    • The study is a one-time cross-sectional survey with no intervention and no follow-up interval, so no term-long tracking exists.
    • "They waited for the respondents to respond to instrument before collecting it back on the spot."
    • Relevant Quotes: 1) "The researcher administered the questionnaire instrument using Direct Delivery Technique (DDT) ... They waited for the respondents to respond to instrument before collecting it back on the spot." (pp. 6-7) 2) "A descriptive survey design was adopted ... with data collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using mean and standard deviation." (Abstract, p. 1) Detailed Analysis: Criterion T requires outcomes to be measured at least one full academic term after an intervention begins, with quotes marking an intervention start date and a measurement date. This study delivers no intervention and collects all data in a single on-the-spot administration of the questionnaire. There is no intervention start date, no follow-up, and no interval that could span an academic term. Criterion T is not met because the study is a one-time cross-sectional survey with no intervention and no term-long measurement interval.
  • D

    Documented Control Group

    • The study has no control group at all, as it is a single-group descriptive survey, so no control group documentation exists.
    • "The target population for this study comprised all the six hundred and thirty eight (638) Private Secondary school students in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State."
    • Relevant Quotes: 1) "The target population for this study comprised all the six hundred and thirty eight (638) Private Secondary school students in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. Out of this, the sample of study was drawn." (p. 5) 2) "Purposive sampling will be employed to identify students that have Artificial Intelligence (AI) experience in Ikwo Local Government." (p. 5) Detailed Analysis: Criterion D requires a well-documented control group including demographics, baseline performance, and conditions. This study uses a single surveyed group of students who already have AI experience; there is no control group and no comparison condition anywhere in the design. Consequently there is no control-group composition, size, or baseline to document. Criterion D is not met because the study has no control group, being a single-group descriptive survey.

• Level 2 Criteria

  • S

    School-level RCT

    • No school-level (or any) randomisation to conditions was conducted; this is a non-experimental survey.
    • "This study will adopt a descriptive survey research design ... without manipulation of variables."
    • Relevant Quotes: 1) "This study will adopt a descriptive survey research design. The descriptive survey design is appropriate because it enables the systematic collection of data ... without manipulation of variables." (p. 5) 2) "Ikwo Local Government Area, which is the area of the study has about 54 private secondary schools and numerous public secondary schools." (p. 5) Detailed Analysis: Criterion S requires randomisation at the school level, with schools assigned to intervention or control conditions. This study does not randomise schools (or any unit) to conditions; it surveys students across private schools to describe existing perceptions. There is no experimental allocation of schools. Criterion S is not met because no school-level randomisation to conditions occurred in this descriptive survey.
  • I

    Independent Conduct

    • The single author designed the instrument, administered it, and analysed the data, with no independent third-party evaluation; and the study is not an intervention trial.
    • "The researcher administered the questionnaire instrument ... with the help of three well trained research assistants."
    • Relevant Quotes: 1) "The researcher administered the questionnaire instrument using Direct Delivery Technique (DDT) with the help of three well trained research assistants ... and thereafter hand them over to the researcher for analysis." (pp. 6-7) 2) "The questionnaire will undergo both content and face validation by experts in the department of Arts and Social Science Education of Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki..." (p. 6) Detailed Analysis: Criterion I requires the evaluation to be conducted independently from those who designed the intervention. This study has no intervention, and the same researcher designed the instrument, oversaw administration (via assistants), and conducted the analysis. There is no independent external evaluator responsible for data collection, analysis, or conclusions. Criterion I is not met because the same researcher designed and carried out the study with no independent third-party conduct, and there is no intervention to evaluate independently.
  • Y

    Year Duration

    • Since criterion T is not met, criterion Y cannot be met; the study has no intervention and no year-long tracking.
    • Relevant Quotes: 1) "A descriptive survey design was adopted ... with data collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using mean and standard deviation." (Abstract, p. 1) Detailed Analysis: Criterion Y requires outcomes to be measured at least 75% of an academic year after the intervention begins. Per the prompt, if criterion T (Term Duration) is not met, then Y is automatically not met. T is not met here because the study is a single on-the-spot survey with no intervention and no measurement interval. No year-long tracking of any kind is described. Criterion Y is not met because criterion T is not met and the study involves no intervention or year-long follow-up.
  • B

    Balanced Control Group

    • There is no intervention group and no control group, so no balancing of educational time or resources can occur.
    • "without manipulation of variables."
    • Relevant Quotes: 1) "The descriptive survey design is appropriate because it enables the systematic collection of data from a defined population in order to describe and analyze existing conditions, experiences, and relationships as they occur naturally, without manipulation of variables." (p. 5) Detailed Analysis: Applying the criterion B decision tree: the first step asks whether the intervention adds extra time or budget relative to a control group. This study has no intervention and no control group at all; it merely surveys students' perceptions of AI use occurring naturally. With no experimental arms, there is no allocation of time, budget, or materials to compare, and the question of balancing resources between groups does not arise. Because there is no intervention versus control structure, the balance requirement cannot be satisfied. Criterion B is not met because the study has no intervention and no control group, so there are no educational resources to balance between conditions.

• Level 3 Criteria

  • R

    Reproduced

    • The study is a single descriptive survey with no independent replication, and there is no reproduction of this specific study by another team.
    • Relevant Quotes: 1) "This study on the influence of AI on academic performance of students in private secondary schools in Ikwo metropolis, will contribute to the growing body of knowledge..." (p. 3) Detailed Analysis: Criterion R requires independent replication of the study by a different research team in a different context, published in a peer-reviewed journal. This is a single, localised descriptive survey; the paper does not report or reference any replication of it, and as a non-experimental survey there is no intervention design to reproduce. An internet search was conducted for any independent reproduction of this specific study (Unugo, Ikwo/Ebonyi AI survey). No paper replicating this particular survey by a different team was found. Related but distinct studies exist (e.g., AI-and-academic-performance surveys elsewhere in Nigeria and an AI/Economics study in Ikwo), but none reproduce this specific study's design or claims, and a descriptive survey is not a replicable experimental trial in any case. Criterion R is not met because no independent replication of this descriptive survey was found.
  • A

    All-subject Exams

    • Criterion E is not met, and the study assesses only self-reported perceptions rather than standardised exams across all main subjects.
    • "AI-based learning tools improve understanding of academic subjects."
    • Relevant Quotes: 1) "AI-based learning tools improve understanding of academic subjects." (Table, item 1, p. 10) 2) "Each item on the questionnaire will be scored using the 4-point Likert scale, with values ranging from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 4 (Strongly Agree)." (p. 7) Detailed Analysis: Criterion A requires that impact be measured across all main subjects using standardised exam-based assessments, and per the prompt it cannot be met if criterion E is not met. Criterion E is not met here because outcomes were measured with a self-report Likert questionnaire, not standardised exams. The study refers to "academic subjects" only in generic self-report items and does not assess performance in any specific main subjects via standardised tests. Criterion A is not met because criterion E is not met and no standardised all-subject exam assessment was conducted.
  • G

    Graduation Tracking

    • Criterion Y is not met, and the study is a one-time survey with no follow-up or tracking to graduation.
    • Relevant Quotes: 1) "They waited for the respondents to respond to instrument before collecting it back on the spot." (p. 7) Detailed Analysis: Criterion G requires tracking participants until graduation, and per the prompt it cannot be met if criterion Y is not met. Criterion Y is not met here. Moreover the study collects data in a single on-the-spot administration with no longitudinal follow-up of any kind, let alone tracking through graduation. An internet search was conducted for any subsequent or follow-up paper by the same author (Unugo) tracking this cohort to graduation. No such follow-up publication was found. Criterion G is not met because criterion Y is not met and there is no follow-up or graduation tracking.
  • P

    Pre-Registered

    • No pre-registration of a study protocol on any registry is mentioned anywhere in the paper.
    • Relevant Quotes: 1) "Two null hypothesis were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance." (p. 3) 2) "The data collected from the questionnaire will be analyzed using descriptive statistics, specifically mean and standard deviation, to address the study objectives." (p. 7) Detailed Analysis: Criterion P requires that the full study protocol be pre-registered on a recognised registry before data collection, with a verifiable registration date and ID. The paper makes no mention of any pre-registration, registry platform, or registration date. Although two null hypotheses are stated, there is no public protocol registration described, and an internet search found no registry entry for this study. Criterion P is not met because the paper contains no reference to a pre-registered protocol or registry.