Inter national J our nal of Electrical and Computer Engineering (IJECE) V ol. 16, No. 2, April 2026, pp. 924 944 ISSN: 2088-8708, DOI: 10.11591/ijece.v16i2.pp924-944 924 The ethics of articial intelligence technology in academic w ork: assessing the line between assistance and plagiarism Md. Owafeeuzzaman P atwary 1 , Md. Reazul Islam 1 , Abtahi Islam 1 , Nur -e Sarjina Khan 1 , Md. Abdullah - Al J ubair 1 , Md. J akir Hossen 2 , M. F . Mridha 1 1 F aculty of Science and T echnology , American International Uni v ersity-Bangladesh (AIUB), Dhaka, Bangladesh 2 Department of Robotics and Automation, F aculty of Engineering and T echnology , Multimedia Uni v ersity , Melaka, Malaysia Article Inf o Article history: Recei v ed Apr 17, 2025 Re vised Jan 7, 2026 Accepted Jan 16, 2026 K eyw ords: Academic inte grity AI dependenc y AI ethics AI in Academia AI tools in education Human-AI interaction Responsible AI inte gration ABSTRA CT The inte gration of articial intelligence (AI) into academia has transformed ed- ucational practi ces and enhanced personalized lear ning and problem-solvi ng ca- pabilities. Ho we v er , this raises signicant ethical concerns re g arding the balance between le gitimate assistance and plagiarism. This study in v estig ated public perceptions of AI in academic settings, focusing on its impact on ef fecti v eness, dependenc y , and ethical considerations of AI use. A surv e y of 498 respondents from v arious educational roles w as conducted , and the data were analyzed using SPSS for descripti v e statistics, chi-square tests, and re gression analyses. The re- sults identied a signicant correlation between people’ s educational roles and their interaction with AI tools ( χ 2 (6) = 16 . 488 , p = 0 . 036 ), reecting the di- v erse patterns of interaction within the academic community . More frequent use of AI w as link ed to less dependenc y ( β = 0 . 298 , p < 0 . 001 ), contradicting the widespread belief of o v er -reliance on AI. Age and educational role had lim- ited e xplanatory v alue in perception of AI dependenc y issues ( R 2 = 0 . 033 ). The ndings indicate a strong correlation between AI usage frequenc y and depen- denc y le v els, with increased e xposure to AI fostering a more critical approach rather than a dependent one. Concerns re g arding the unethical use of AI, in- accuracies in AI-generat ed content, and the need for clear institutional policies were also highlighted. This study underscores the importance of responsible AI inte gration, adv ocating for ethical frame w orks and educational interv entions to ensure that AI enhances learning without compromising academic inte grity . This is an open access article under the CC BY -SA license . Corresponding A uthor: Md. Jakir Hossen Department of Robotics and Automation, F aculty of Engineering and T echnology , Multimedia Uni v ersity Melaka, Malaysia Email: jakir .hossen@mmu.edu.my 1. INTR ODUCTION W idespread articial intelligence (AI) adoption in schools has re v olutionized education by allo wing personalized learning routes and optimum intellectual stimulation for all types of learners [1], [2]. While the applications of AI pro vide such adv antages as cost sa vings and accessibility , their use is hindered by dire ethical issues, mainly academic inte grity , authorship, and the acceptable limit of assistance v ersus plagiarism [3]–[5]. Concerns ha v e mounted as or g anizations f ail to establish coherent policies for the responsible use o f AI amidst inconsistent usage patterns and murk y accountability measures [6], [7]. P arallel to this, there ha v e been se v ere concerns re g arding the inte grity and equity of AI systems in learning processes. Evidence e xists for biases in grading systems [8], in v ading students’ autonomy and pri- J ournal homepage: http://ijece .iaescor e .com Evaluation Warning : The document was created with Spire.PDF for Python.
Int J Elec & Comp Eng ISSN: 2088-8708 925 v ac y by monitoring learning platforms [9], and general confusion re g arding the ethics of AI-generated content [10], [11]. These are e xacerbated by the rapid rate of AI de v elopment occurring before institutional polic y interv entions, lea ving learners and teachers in the dark about what is acceptable practice [12], [13]. While the originality of ethical resea rch has long been celebrated, empirical in v estig ations of the frequenc y of AI use and self-reported dependence are scarce. Earlier studies ha v e typically dra wn upon anecdotal or discipline-specic case studies that do not re v eal role-based adoption patterns of groups such as students, f aculty , and administra- tion [14], [15]. Furthermore, there are limited longitudinal studies e xamining the ef fect of repeated e xposure to ubiquitous AI on cogniti v e independence, especially i n learning en vironments with signicant heterogeneity between science, technology , engineering and mathematics (STEM) and humanities elds [16]. The current study lls these g aps by e xamining AI use patterns and percei v ed dependence among 498 w orking academics. Using a mix ed-methods design, the current study e xamined whether a higher fre- quenc y of use is associat ed with higher critical literac y or passi v e dependence. Contrary to the widespread belief that frequent AI use undermines student agenc y , this study e xamines the h ypothes is that a higher fre- quenc y of use translates into more sophisticated and strate gic tool use. Statistical procedures, such as chi-square analysis and re gression modeling, were emplo yed to e v aluate the impact of v ariables such as age and job on dependenc y perceptions. The results support human-led AI literac y practices that add academic inte grity and enhance the educational impact of AI. By combining quantitati v e data and qualitati v e understanding, this study pro vides e vidence-based e vidence for role-specic AI training planning, informs institution-le v el polic y , and establishes a more e xplicit distinction between v alid assist ance and academic fraud in the age of generati v e AI. The or g anization of the paper is as prese nted belo w: In this study , section 2 presents the objecti v es of the in v estig ation. Section 3 re vie ws the rele v ant literature on AI ethics in academic settings. Section 4 describes the methodology emplo yed in this study . Section 5 presents the data analysis technique. Section 6 reports the results of this study , based on both quantitati v e and qualitati v e ndings. Section 7 discusses the implications of the results, including their limitations and directions for future research. Section 8 concludes the paper with k e y ndings and recommendations. 2. OBJECTIVES This study analyzes the moral aspects of AI in education in terms of its ef fects on academic i n t e grity , dependenc y , and ef cienc y . This study discusses the emplo yment of AI tools by students, instructors, and administrators for their respecti v e roles. An essential part of the research is whether repeated use results in autonomy or harmful reliance on AI systems. This research also discusses ethical issues such as plagiarism, academic dishonesty , and errors in AI w ork. Moreo v er , it e xamines ho w demographics (role, age, and AI literac y) inuence the attitude to w ards embracing AI. Based on the ndings, this study recommends ethical practices for inte grating AI into academia, with a focus on AI literac y programs and institutional policies to maintain academic inte grity and ensure w orthwhile AI use. This study considered v e k e y aims, inte grating quantitati v e e xamination with qualitati v e discourse to create a well-rounded kno wledge of AI among academic institutions. a. P atterns of adoption quantied o v er academic functions: This study initially quantied dif ferences in the adoption of AI tools acr oss distinct groups of academic stak eholders [15]. It also identied statistically signicant usage rates of administrators, f aculty , and students based on descripti v e statistics and chi-square ( χ 2 ) testing. b . Explored the frequenc y-dependenc y re lationship: This study e xplored the complicated rel ationship between dependenc y and frequenc y of AI use [17]. Using linear re gression modeling, it also tes ted the common assumption that o v er -reliance arises from high frequenc y , with consideration of the alternati v e scenario that more frequent e xposure may yield more mature and independent patterns of use. c. Measured the impact of demographics: This study tested the e xplanatory po wer of k e y demographic v ari- ables, i .e., educational role and age, on stak eholders’ perceptions of dependenc y on AI [18]. It also used multi v ariate re gression to ascertain if these v ariables were strong predictors of ho w indi viduals percei v ed using AI tools in their study . d. Dominant ethical issues and concerns identied: This study identied dominant ethical concerns and is- sues of the academic community through inducti v e thematic analysis of open-ended surv e y questions [9]. This qualitati v e analysis attempted to b uild a sense of multif aceted positions on academic inte grity , plagia- The ethics of articial intellig ence tec hnolo gy in academic work: ... (Md. Owafeeuzzaman P atwary) Evaluation Warning : The document was created with Spire.PDF for Python.
926 ISSN: 2088-8708 rism, and the percei v ed truthfulness of AI-generated information. e. Evidence-based recommendations de v eloped: Based on the ndings of the mix ed-methods analysis, this study de v eloped a set of e vidence-based recommendations for schools. It is intended specically to guide the de v elopment of role-specic training programs for AI and straightforw ard, action-oriented policies for incorporating the ethical use of AI into the curriculum. 3. LITERA TURE REVIEW This literature re vie w collates emer ging con v ersations surrounding the transformati v e potential of AI in academia, with a particular focus on the ethical implications of its implementation in research, writing, and kno wledge sharing. It e xamined AI’ s tw o-f aced role as both an accelerator of academic producti vity and a source of trouble for academic inte grity , data pri v ac y , and e v aluation f airness. 3.1. Setting ethical standards Scholars rated frame w orks as the most ef fecti v e means of controlling AI use in academia. Ashok et al. [12] created a cross-industry ethical frame w ork that highlights transparenc y , accountability , and human o v ersight and ar gued that such principles a v oid misuse in academic settings. The y discussed ho w algo- rithmic auditing reduces bias in automarking. Castell ´ o-Sirv ent et al. [6] responded with a campus-wide plan calling for institution-wide et hics boards and AI ethics inte gration into the curriculum, citing decent ralized poli- cies that only e xacerbate enforcement disparity . Their research cited case studies at European uni v ersities in which brok en guidelines doubled plagiarism cases by 22%. T ang et al. [19] proposed journal-le v el guidel ines for generati v e AI, calling for authorial responsibility and straightforw ard AI tool disclosure. The y e xamined 350 articles on science education and found that 37% of the manuscripts had undisclosed AI contrib utions. Mujtaba et al. [20] dispelled myths of AI substituting human judgment, pointing out that ethical dilemmas occur when tools circumv ent required analysis. Their surv e y of b usiness students reported that 64% confused AI editing with original content in the absence of guidelines. F arooqi et al. [7] rigorously re vie wed inte gration challenges and concluded that the shortage of sector -specic guidelines w as the root cause of ethical breaches. The y suggested adapti v e frame w orks for v ocations instead of abstract elds. 3.2. Algorithmic bias and data pri v acy Studies ha v e unco v ered the risks of embedded bias and monitoring within AI systems. Santoni de Sio [8] identied algorithmic bias in admissions and grading programs, demonstrating training data biases that increased socio-economic disparities. Their simulation identied AI admissions softw are biased in f a v or of appli cants from af uent schools by 19%. Jac o b et al. [21] replicated these results in medical school, demonstrating that biased clinical AI softw are e xaggerated diagnosis biases among student doctors. The y promoted biased audits and multi v ariate dataset curation in the name of equity . Dourish and Bell [9] made an early critique of ubiquitous computing, cautioning that the surv eillance of students using learning management system (LMS) threatened student autonomy and f acilitated the commodication of data. Their ethnographic research foreshado ws today’ s pri v ac y tensions in AI-monitored e xaminations. Polat et al. [14] associated biased leadership algorithms with instituti onal biases through bibliometric analysis. The y established that AI- based resource distrib ution in schools e xacerbated gender disparities in STEM enrollment. 3.3. Ab use of AI in Academia Quantitati v e research has re v ealed plagiarism risks and detection f ailures. Perkins [3] reported ram- pant lar ge language models (LLM) aided plagiarism, with 68% of students using C hatGPT unf airly under ambiguous policies. His re vie w of 1,200 assignments re v ealed that modern detectors missed 45% of AI- paraphrased content. Fyfe [5] empirically conrmed AI-authored essays, sho wing that detectors f ailed to identify structural plagiarism in 72% of cases. He adv ocated for pedagogical changes to w ards process-based e xaminations, such as oral defenses. Hutson [4] re n a med plagiarism as “attrib utional ne gligence”, contending that unethical use is only present when users conceal AI inputs. His semantic analysis diseng aged collaborati v e drafting from fraudulent authorship. Miao et al. [22] surv e yed academia in nephrology and found that peer re vie wers were unable to detect statistical manipulation generated by AI 58% of the time. The y designed a disclosure proces s for the medical journals. Chen [13] associated relax ed conference policies with escalating misconduct, nding a 31% rise in AI-a v oiding plagiarism after the pandemic. Int J Elec & Comp Eng, V ol. 16, No. 2, April 2026: 924-944 Evaluation Warning : The document was created with Spire.PDF for Python.
Int J Elec & Comp Eng ISSN: 2088-8708 927 3.4. AI literacy and policy de v elopment Successful go v ernance h i nges on stak eholders’ education. Zeb et al. [23] correlated library-pro vided AI literac y training with 52% greater rates of students’ ethical adoption. Their longitudinal study demonstrated that w orkshops reduced tool misuse by 41%. Mustof a et al. [18] simulated acceptance f actors, demonstrating subjecti v e norms (e.g., peers’ attitudes) and tool credibility o v er technical con v enience for ethical use. The T AM e xtension questionnaire surv e yed 800 Indonesian uni v ersity students. F alebita and K ok[16] recognized STEM cohorts’ technology readiness g aps and suggested polic y-incenti vized certications to institute stan- dardized competencies. Structural equation modeling v eried that self-ef cac y g aps prohibited responsible use. Khalif a and Albada wy [10] placed AI as a w ork-enhancer when it is paired with literac y education, with researchers utilizing guided tools that came up with 30% more ne w conclusions . Y im and Su [24] cautioned that there were no age-appropriate ethics modules in K-12 AI programs, and therefore, plagiarism became a threat in primary education. 3.5. Social and ethical implications of AI W ider social ef fects were critically e xplored. Al-Zahrani and Alasmari [11] attrib uted dependence on AI to lessened critical thinking, indicating that o v eruse reduced comple x problem-solving among under grads by 30%. Their transdisciplinary in v estig ation spok e in f a v or of tool balancing for the follo wing r easons. Ger - lich [15] speculated cogniti v e of oading as a double-edged sw ord, where g ains in ef cienc y w ould undermine metacogniti v e potential in t h e absence of reection-based pedagogy . He surv e yed cogniti v e psychology e xper - iments in f a v or of this trade-of f and found that Cukuro v a [2] en visioned h ybrid frame w orks for intelligence that combined AI analysis with human direction to preserv e ethical enrichment. In their architecture, co-adapti v e learning systems are the center stage. Carayannis et al. [25] applied ethics to SME upskilling, demonstrating that unre gulated AI training softw are w orsened labour disparities. Prather et al. [26] deconstructed the h ype o v er generati v e AI, unco v ering o v erblo wn adv antages hiding ethical risks in 70% of the EdT ech h ype. 3.6. Lear ning and cr eati vity AI tools Evidence pro v es the creati vity adv antage of ethical re g ul ation. Iqbal et al. [1] re v ealed that generati v e AI impro v ed preservice teachers’ metacognition by 40% through group problem-solving. Controlled trials re- quire close monitoring to a v oid addiction. Chen [27] re v ealed that composition softw are used by music students generated greater melodic creati vity b ut had 25% lo wer theoretical kno wledge when left unsupervised. Dibek et al. [28] meta-analyzed 62 studies, concluding AI el e v ated higher -order thinking only in tasks demanding creati v e synthesis. Ef fect sizes were strongest (+0.78) when AI supplemented, not replaced, the cogniti v e ef- fort. Mohebbi [17] demonstrated that AI language tools promote learner autonomy b ut decrease grammatical correctness by 18% in the absence of a feedback mechanism. 3.7. Resear ch gaps and futur e dir ections While there is an increasing body of research addressing the ethical considerations of AI in education, the e xisting literature tends to of fer generalized ethical frame w orks that are not sensiti v e to specic conte xts. Ho we v er , as AI is introduced into dif ferent elds of study , it becomes clear that ethical considerations and use case areas dif fer within dif ferent disciplines. This distinction indicates the need for more conte xtualized ethical guidelines that ha v e the e xibility to address the dif culties associated with separate elds and address particular needs. T able 1 sho ws the summary of e xisting w orks on AI ethics in education: a. Discipline-specic ethical guidelines: Current standards (e.g., Ashok et al. [12]; Castell ´ o-Sirv ent et al. [6]) remain too general, f ailing to k eep up with discipline-specic nuances. AI use in creati v e writing (Chen [27]), for instance, demands dif ferent ethical standards than STEM data analysis (F alebita and K ok [16]), b ut no adapti v e frame w orks e xist to address these disparities. Future studies should create eld-specic guidelines with educators in mind, follo wing up on ho w standards of attrib ution v ary across elds. b . Longitudinal cogniti v e ef fect: Short-term studies re v eal cogniti v e decits in critical thinking (Al-Zahrani and Alasmari [11]; Gerlich [15]), b ut the long-term impact of AI-f acilitated learning on metacognition and creati vity is unclear . Dibek et al. [28] referred to this as a “black box” for educational psychology , calling for cohort studies o v er a decade e xploring the impact of early e xposure to AI on graduates’ professional ethics and problem-solving ability . c. Scalable bias mitig ation: Algorithmic discrimination solutions (Santoni de Sio [8]; Jacob et al. [21]) remain only at small-scale trials. Bias audits by Jacob et al. , although cost-ef fecti v e in clinical training simulations, are impractical for institution-le v el deplo yment, considering computational e xpenses. Research priorities The ethics of articial intellig ence tec hnolo gy in academic work: ... (Md. Owafeeuzzaman P atwary) Evaluation Warning : The document was created with Spire.PDF for Python.
928 ISSN: 2088-8708 should be placed on de v eloping lo w-cost, open-source, bias-detecting tools that are deplo yable across under - resourced institutions globally . d. Global equity in polic y making: Existing ethics are Anglo-European domi nant (Chen [13]; F arooqi et al. [7]), ne glecting infrastructural and cultural constraints in Global South schooling. F arooqi et al. determined that 78% of suggested AI go v ernance frame w orks assume common high-bandwidth connecti vity , making them inef fecti v e in en vironments with intermittent connecti vity . Future studies should emplo y participatory design practices that prioritize the v oices of underrepresented educational conte xts. e. Ne xt-generation assessment models: AI-paraphrased writing is be yond the scope of plagiarism detection (Fyfe [5]; Perkins [3]), and ne w choices are under -e xplored. Hutson [4] promoted “process-oriented e v alu- ations, b ut big models for ideati on genesis tracing (e.g., blockchain-documented drafting histories) require interdisciplinary collaboration between pedagogues and AI engineers. T able 1. Summary of e xisting w orks on AI ethics in education Author(s) Y ear K e y Contrib ution Identied Research Gap Ashok et al. [12] 2022 Proposed foundational ethical frame w ork identifying 14 k e y AI ethics principles (intelligibility , accountability , f airness, pri v ac y) Critical g ap in practical implementation guidance Perkins [3] 2023 Redened academic inte grity breach as lack of transparenc y in AI use rather than usage itself Need for institutional policies addressing transparenc y requirements Castell ´ o-Sirv ent et al. [6] 2024 Created 3-le v el roadmap (Micro/Meso/Macro) for ethical AI deplo yment in uni v ersities Lack of coherent institutional vision for AI inte gration Fyfe [5] 2023 De v eloped ”proacti v e cheating” pedagogy to foster critical AI literac y Need to mo v e be yond plagiarism detection to w ard acti v e eng agement T ang et al. [19] 2024 Established concrete guidelines for generati v e AI use in academic publishing Practical implementation g aps in authorship/cop yright frame w orks Gerlich [15] 2025 Quantied cogniti v e of oading as mediator between AI use and critical thinking decline Empirical e vidence g ap re g arding analytical skill erosion Cukuro v a [2] 2025 Proposed ”h ybrid intelligence” model (e xternaliza- tion/internalization/e xtension) Ov ersimplied tool-based conceptualization of AI Jacob et al. [21] 2025 Introduced ”AI for IMP A CTS” frame w ork for clinical tool e v aluation Need for holistic assessment be yond technical accurac y Mustof a et al. [18] 2025 Extended T AM model sho wing ethics/trust > ease-of-use in AI adoption Polic y focus misalignment with student adoption dri v ers Hutson [4] 2024 Called for redenition of plagiarism/originality Curricular misalignment with AI-assisted writing realities concepts 4. METHODOLOGY This study e xplored the ethical issues in v olv ed in using AI in academic w ork, specically the bal- ance between assistance and plagiarism. This section elucidates the res earch design, participant selection, data collection methods, and procedures follo wed in analyzing the collected data and ethical considerations. Figure 1 sho ws a o wchart of the study methodology and mix ed-methods analytical process. Int J Elec & Comp Eng, V ol. 16, No. 2, April 2026: 924-944 Evaluation Warning : The document was created with Spire.PDF for Python.
Int J Elec & Comp Eng ISSN: 2088-8708 929 Figure 1. Ov ervie w of the study methodology and mix ed-methods analytical process 4.1. Resear ch design The qualitati v e portion of the study emplo yed a surv e y-based design to e v aluate the pre v alence and trends of AI tool use in academic en vironments. This process entailed the collection of quantitati v e data through closed-ended question designs, allo wing for statistical analysis that re v ealed the correlations and patterns. The qualitati v e aspect, embedded in the same surv e y inst rument, in v olv ed the in vitation of open-ended questions to collect rich, descripti v e data on participants’ e xperiences, perceptions, and concerns re g arding AI in academia. The qualitati v e data helped to pro vide conte xt and depth to the quantitati v e results, enabling a more nuanced understanding. 4.2. P articipants P articipants in the study included a sample of 498 (N = 498) students (at v arious le v els), teach- ers/f aculty members, administrati v e emplo yees, and other educational roles, respecti v ely . P articipants were recruited using a con v enience sampling approach, allo wing for a wide representation of perspecti v es in an educational community . Be yond their primary function as educational en vironment actors , the y also pro vided demographic data, including age and gender , to undertak e a breakdo wn of ho w these v ariables af fected their use of and perspecti v es on AI. Such information w ould enable an analysis of ho w these may inuence AI-related beliefs and acti vities concerning academic w ork. 4.3. Data collection Data we re collected using an online surv e y platform called Google F orms. The surv e y instrument w as specically de v eloped and pilot-tested with a small subset of the population of interest to ensure appropriate w ording, v alidity , and reliability of the questions. The surv e y comprised tw o major components: a. Quantitati v e section: Questions manipulated based on Lik ert scales to dene participant use of AI tools, signs of dependenc y on AI, and perceptions of se v eral ethical considerations associated wi th AI in the academic w orld. b . Qualitati v e section: This section included open-ended questions that aimed to obtain in-depth responses re g arding the participants’ e xperiences with AI tools, their opinions on the adv antages and disadv antages of AI in the education sector , as well as the proper ethical limits bet ween acceptable and plagiarized AI assistance. The ethics of articial intellig ence tec hnolo gy in academic work: ... (Md. Owafeeuzzaman P atwary) Evaluation Warning : The document was created with Spire.PDF for Python.
930 ISSN: 2088-8708 In addition, the surv e y g athered demographic data. P articipants were briefed on the objecti v e of the study , that their participation w as v oluntary , and that anon ymity and condentiality w ould be preserv ed. 4.4. Data analysis Data were analyzed using SPSS softw are for quantitati v e and thematic analysis for the q ua litati v e analysis. Quantitati v e analysis: descripti v e statistics (means, standard de viations, frequenc ies) were estimated for the demographic characteristics of the sample and the general patterns of AI use. The follo wing statistical tests were performed to assess the relationships between v ariables: T w o chi-square tests of independence were conducted to e xam ine the relationship between educational purpose and AI tool utilizati o n. Ho w oft en is AI used, and ho w dependent are the y on AI? Re gression analysis w as used to model the relationship between AI usage (independent v ariable) and dependenc y (dependent v ariable). Perceptions of dependenc y problems of AI (dependent v ariable) according to age and educational role (independent v ariables). All tests were tw o- tailed with a signicance threshold of p 0.05. Qualitati v e analysis of open-ended responses w as thematically analyzed. Specically , this included a systematic process of coding the data to unco v er recurrent themes, patterns, and insights. This is because the y relate to participants’ e xperiences and perceptions of AI within the academic conte xt. Themes were identied and interpreted to enrich our understanding of the quantitati v e results. 4.5. Ethical considerations This study w as conducted with the utmost respect for the ethical treatment of all participants and follo wed the highest standards for research in v olving human subjects. The fol lo wing measures were tak en to ensure ethical conduct throughout the study: a. Informed consent: Before participation, all subj ects recei v ed detailed information about the study , including its purpose, procedures, potential risks and benets, the v oluntary nature of participation, and their right to withdra w at an y time without consequence. The participants pro vided informed consent after the y had the opportunity to ask questions about the study . b . Anon ymity and condentiality: P articipants’ anon ymity and condentiality were strictly maintained. No personal identifying information (e.g., names, email addresses, or institutional af liations) w as collected or link ed to indi vidual responses. The data were aggre g at ed and analyzed at the group le v el to pre v ent the identication of indi vidual participants. c. Data security: Collected data were stored on passw ord-protected systems, accessible only to authorized re- search team members. Additional protections include the encryption and secure storage of ph ysical records in lock ed cabinets. Data were retained for a specied period and securely destro yed follo wing standard data disposal protocols. d. V oluntary participation: P articipation in the study w as entirely v oluntary . P articipants were informed that the y could decline to answer an y question or withdra w from the study at an y time without penalty . This process w as repeated throughout the data-collection process. e. Minimization of harm: The study w as designed to minimize potential risks. The surv e y questions were re vie wed to a v oid sensiti v e or potentially triggeri n g content. The participants were pro vided with the contact details of the research team re g arding their concerns or questions. f. Use and sharing of data: P articipants were informed about the intended use of their data, including research analysis and academic publication. If an y data sharing is planned, it will be performed in an anon ymized form under strict protection protocols. 5. D A T A AN AL YSIS Quantitati v e data from 498 education stak eholders were analyzed using SPSS (v28) with α = 0 . 05 . Statistical analysis entailed descripti v e analysis, chi-square tests of independence, and linear re gression mod- eling to e xamine the k e y relationships. 5.1. T est of independence The chi-square test of independence is commonly used to determine whether there is a signicant relationship between tw o v ariables and the nature of the rel ationship. This test is particularly useful for under - standing the types of non-numeric data or the relationships between them, such as user groups and technology Int J Elec & Comp Eng, V ol. 16, No. 2, April 2026: 924-944 Evaluation Warning : The document was created with Spire.PDF for Python.
Int J Elec & Comp Eng ISSN: 2088-8708 931 usage patterns. 5.1.1. Relationship between educational r ole and AI adoption Hypothesis: H 0 : No relationship between educational roles and the adoption of AI tools. H 1 : A relationship e xists between educational roles and the adoption of AI tools. A chi-square test re v ealed a statistically signicant association between the educational role and AI adoption: χ 2 (6) = 16 . 488 , p = 0 . 036 The rejection of the null h ypothesis ( H 0 ) suggests role-dependent adoption patterns. Students represented the majority of users (98% of adopters), with adoption being much lo wer for f aculty (0.2%) and administrators (0.4%). T o e xplore ho w dif ferent educational roles (students, teachers, and administrators) inuence the adop- tion of AI tools, a chi-square test of independence w as conducted. Figure 2 and the corresponding bar chart in Figure 3 depict the distrib ution and statistical association. Chi-Square v alue ( χ 2 ) = 16 . 488 De grees of Freedom (df) = 6 p -v alue = 0 . 036 Since the p-v alue is less than 0.05, reject the null h ypothesis H 0 and accept the alternati v e h ypothesis H 1 . This result indicates a statistically signicant relationship between the educational role and AI adoption. Figure 3 sho ws that students represent the lar gest group of AI equipment users, follo wed by teachers and administrators. This suggests that while AI tools are g aining traction across the board, their adoption is not uniform. Students are more acti v e in adopting AI technologies because the y are lik ely to be f amiliar with educational w orkloads and digital de vices. In contrast, teachers and administrators can adopt such techniques more cautiously or selecti v ely . This insight outlines the importance of designing role-specic AI literac y initiati v es to promote equal and ef fecti v e inte gration. Figure 2. Association between educational roles and AI adoption based on Chi-Square test results 5.1.2. Fr equency of AI use vs. le v el of dependency Hypothesis: H 0 : No connection between ho w often AI is used and ho w much it’ s depended upon. H 1 : A connection e xists between the frequenc y of AI use and the de gree of reliance on AI. A v ery strong association e xisted between the frequenc y of use and the le v el of dependenc y . χ 2 (16) = 531 . 012 , p < 0 . 001 The ethics of articial intellig ence tec hnolo gy in academic work: ... (Md. Owafeeuzzaman P atwary) Evaluation Warning : The document was created with Spire.PDF for Python.
932 ISSN: 2088-8708 The strong relationship ( H 0 rejected) sho wed polarized dependenc y reporting: 46.6% felt “signicant depen- denc y” compared to 46.6% who reported “some what dependenc y . This test e xamined whether the frequent use of AI tools w as associated with user dependenc y . As illustrated in Figure 4 and the supporting distrib ution in Figure 5: Chi-Square v alue ( χ 2 ) = 531 . 012 p -v alue = 0 . 000 The e xtremely lo w p-v alue ( < 0 . 001) conrms a highly signicant association. As a result, this study accept H 1 and reject the null h ypothesis H 0 . This suggests that the frequenc y of use and percei v ed dependence are interconnected. Interestingly , Figure 5 sho ws that respondents with high and lo w use reported dependenc y . Ho we v er , as e xplored in Section 5.3.1., this unit is not necessarily linear or increases with use. This result w arns institutions ag ainst assuming that the most frequent use automatically leads to e xcessi v e dependence. Instead, the comple xity of the psychological and beha vioral dynamics surrounding AI commitment stands out. Figure 3. Bar chart sho wing adoption of AI among v arious educational roles Figure 4. Correlation between AI adoption and student dependenc y problems: Chi-square test Int J Elec & Comp Eng, V ol. 16, No. 2, April 2026: 924-944 Evaluation Warning : The document was created with Spire.PDF for Python.
Int J Elec & Comp Eng ISSN: 2088-8708 933 Figure 5. Distrib ution of AI adoption in relation to reported dependenc y issues 5.2. Fr equency analysis T o quantitati v ely synthe size the surv e y data, a frequenc y analysis w as conducted to capture the re- spondents’ demographics, usage patterns in v olving AI, and attitudes to w ard AI’ s role and inuence within educational settings. This analysis has the function of putting inferential statistical ndings reported later in this paper into perspecti v e. The response pattern along the central surv e y items is described belo w . 5.2.1. Respondents’ fr equency distrib ution by education r ole The demographics of the 498 participants are sho wn in Figure 6. Most of the respondents were students, comprising 98.0% (n=488) of the total sample. The rest of the participants comprised other academic roles, such as parents at 1.0% (n=5), administrators at 0.4% (n=2), those who identied themsel v es as both teachers and parents at 0.4% (n=2), and teachers at 0.2% (n=1). This pattern at this le v el sho ws that the results mostly reect students’ vie ws on AI in education. Figure 6. Frequenc y distrib ution of respondents by education role (i.e., student, teacher , administrator) 5.2.2. P er cei v ed fr equency distrib ution of AI-induced issues of dependency Figure 7 sho ws the perceptions of respondents re g arding whether or not AI tools cause dependenc y among students. A signicant majority of participants conrmed some le v el of dependenc y , with responses e v enly split between “Some what” (46.6%, n=232) and “Y es, signicantly” (46.6%, n=232). This equates to a cumulati v e total of 93.2% who vie w there to be an issue of dependenc y . There w as a v ery small minority of “Neutral” on the question (6.4%, n=32), though just 0.4% (n=2) of respondents thought that AI tools produced “No, not at all” dependenc y . The ethics of articial intellig ence tec hnolo gy in academic work: ... (Md. Owafeeuzzaman P atwary) Evaluation Warning : The document was created with Spire.PDF for Python.