AI tutor as Socratic Mentors: Transforming Student Learning in Research Methods

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming higher education, enhancing learning for students and providing new tools for lecturers and thesis supervisors. Despite challenges, AI AI has the potential to be a powerful tool for teaching and thesis supervision especially through the facilitation of personalized learning experiences. A persistent issue in thesis supervision is the quality of students’ work and their competencies in research methods, particularly in quantitative research. A quantitative study with external lecturers and supervisors identified significant gaps in students' methodological skills. Based on these findings, this paper proposes a framework for integrating AI into thesis supervision. The framework outlines how an AI tutor, using Socratic dialogues, can support students in key tasks such as developing purpose statements and research questions while offering personalized guidance throughout the research process, ultimately improving research quality and student learning outcomes.