Public Discussions about ChatGPT in Malaysian Education During its Initial Launch: A Qualitative Content Analysis of Newspaper Articles

Abstract

The launch of ChatGPT in late 2022 offers a glimpse into the capability of generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, as well as a future that is both exciting and filled with uncertainty about how powerful chatbots might become. ChatGPT, which has been trained on a huge dataset, can engage in a conversation with its users and respond to their questions. The launch of ChatGPT was followed by newspaper articles speculating on the transformations and impacts that ChatGPT would have on various facets of life, especially education. To gain a better understanding of what people have discussed about ChatGPT in Malaysian education during ChatGPT's initial launch, this study first searched three mainstream national Malaysian English newspapers using the search terms "ChatGPT" and "education" to identify 16 relevant newspaper articles, which were then analysed using a qualitative content analysis. The analysis revealed that the discussions regarding ChatGPT in Malaysian education in these newspaper articles could be categorised into five level-one categories: academic ethics, AI competence, ChatGPT adoption, learning design, and soft skills, which were further divided into 15 level-two subcategories. The findings of this study have various practical implications that may help academics and educational institutions better prepare for the expected increase in chatbot use by students and academics. The findings also make several theoretical contributions and provide a point of departure for future research.