The Paradox of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) in Design and Technology: High School Context

The study is on The Paradox of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) in Design and Technology (D&T): High School Context. This study is guided by the rational framework, anchored on the constructivism paradigm whose mother is the interpretivist paradigm of philosophy. Hinged on this philosophy, the study adopted a qualitative approach, following a systematic review of the available related literature, newsletters, podcasts and webinars on GAI in education and AI in instruction, best practices in D&T, case studies and interviews with the selected thirty-five D&T professionals drawn from; 5 D&T high school teachers, with an equal spread of 5year difference interval teaching D&T, 5 D&T examiners, 5 subject moderators, 5 D&T consultants and 5 Tertiary D&T teacher trainers and 10 from private high schools currently applying SEL in their curriculum. The commonality among the interviewees was their strong focus on CAD/CAM in design and manufacturing. The literature gathered using key research words and interview results was cross-reviewed and thematically analysed. It surfaced that the D&T professional community feel that GAI has immense potential to foster creativity in problem-solving, by allowing simulations of possible ideas in Virtual Reality (VR) environments and speeding up the design processes; research and ideation stages. Efficient leveraging of the capabilities of GAI; blended with the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) skills can influence students to explore and experiment with design concepts more efficiently, freeing up time for higher-order thinking and collaborative problem-solving. Having a clear and precise understanding of the impacts of GAI in D&T is significant because D&T competencies help students engage in real-world issues. Fusing GAI to D&T is a risky yet potential path because of the possible shortcomings and benefits it could have in actual- or authentic-problem solving within the classroom and society. The study recommends and provides insights for policymakers and researchers in the field of education with particular thrust on D&T to foster ethical considerations and data privacy, embrace and invest in Virtual Instruction (VI) tools specifically tailored for personalised learning, promote Professional Development (PD) and Capacity Building, embark on a rigorous curriculum review and alignment with GAI and SEL infusion in curriculum redesign.