Artificial intelligence literacy education in primary schools: a review

Abstract Artificial intelligence (AI) has become an important part of 21st-century life and this requires that students understand how to adapt to this change. Despite calls to extend AI literacy education from university to young students, there remains a lack of evidence-based research informing educators and researchers on the content of AI literacy education at the primary school level. This study aims to offer a comprehensive overview of what constitutes AI literacy education in primary schools, including its theoretical frameworks, pedagogical strategies, learning tools, assessment methods, educational outcomes, and challenges. The study presents a systematic review mapping process using Scopus and the Web of Science. Twenty-five empirical studies focusing on the primary school context were selected. The review revealed that (1) AI literacy encompasses a fluid conceptual understanding of digital literacy in terms of interacting and collaborating with AI, computational thinking, critical data literacy, and AI ethics; (2) constructionism, the constructivist theoretical framework, and the ARCS (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction) model of instructional design were the dominant means of constructing the research design of the selected studies; (3) constructivist methodologies, project-based learning, programming, and human-agent interaction were commonly used by the selected studies, and AI learning tools, particularly intelligent agents, were often adopted in AI literacy teaching and learning research; (4) mixed-research methods were the most common, with surveys, interviews, and artifacts being employed to evaluate students’ learning outcomes; and (5) there were positive academic, affective, and behavioral educational outcomes, as well as course satisfaction. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic review to offer a detailed perspective on AI literacy at the primary school level, providing valuable insights for researchers, policymakers, and educators designing future educational frameworks, curricula, and assessment. Future research directions are also discussed.