Using Artificial Intelligence in School Counseling: Professional Perspectives

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has recently risen in the educational field. However, studies showing the use of AI by school counselors are scarce, despite the benefits these tools can offer, especially with vulnerable groups. This study aims to analyze the perception of school counselors regarding AI. For this purpose, we analyzed the applications of AI, the challenges, training needs, and changes in their role as school counselors. This research is framed within the qualitative methodology through content analysis. For the data collection, an open-ended questionnaire was used with a sample of 20 school counselors from secondary schools. As main results and conclusions, it should be noted that the participants emphasize the help of AI in streamlining bureaucratic tasks in the school context, the personalization in vocational guidance, and the creation of materials to address student diversity, for example, with vulnerable groups. They identify challenges associated with human disconnection, lack of data privacy, and the need for training, essentially from a technical perspective. However, school counselors are still unclear about the changes in their roles and responsibilities derived from AI use. Some of them consider that AI will not entail relevant changes, while others anticipate the need for data interpretation and technological supervision. The findings of this study emphasize the need for further research on the benefits and risks of AI in school counseling for secondary education.

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