Abstract While review work in the field of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in education has been emerging, there is a lack of research from the technology research perspective. To address this research gap, this study presents a scoping review of empirical research reported at four selected premier technology-oriented educational conferences. From 1032 conference papers published between 2023 and 2025, 189 empirical studies were retained for further analysis. Using descriptive and thematic synthesis, we examine the characteristics of these studies, focusing on pedagogical roles, application domains, and technical enablement strategies of GenAI in educational contexts. The review further identifies emerging research trajectories, including a growing shift toward agentic systems and small language models, as well as persistent challenges related to geographic imbalance, developmental considerations in K-12 settings, and limited longitudinal evidence. These findings provide timely insights into the evolving landscape of GenAI research in education from a technology research perspective.
Luo et al. (2026) studied this question.