High School Science Profile Predicts Adults' Views on the Future of AI and STS

TL;DR

This study shows that high school science achievement influences adults' AI use and perceptions, which shape their views on science and society, highlighting the long-term impact of science education.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence linking high school science achievement to adult AI engagement and perceptions, a novel long-term perspective.

Findings

High school science achievement predicts AI use at age 24.

AI use influences perceptions of AI and STS issues.

Science interest indirectly affects adult perceptions via achievement and AI use.

Abstract

This study investigates the long term influence of high school science education on adults' engagement with artificial intelligence (AI) and their views on science-technology-society (STS) issues. Drawing on longitudinal data from the Korea Employment Education Panel (KEEP) II (n = 2,348), which tracked general high school students from 2016 to 2023, we applied structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine how science interest and achievement in adolescence predict AI use and perceptions in adulthood. Results indicate that high school science achievement, but not science interest, directly predicted AI use at age 24. AI use significantly influenced both positive and negative perceptions of AI, which in turn shaped sophisticated perspectives on STS domains - human-AI relationship, quality of life, and science and technology monopolization. Indirect effects suggest that high school science interest can influence adult perceptions of AI and STS views, mediated by science achievement and AI use. These findings provide rare empirical evidence linking secondary science education to adult engagement with AI.