ChatGPT in Education: Challenges in Local Knowledge Representation of Romanian History and Geography

• Published in: Education sciences Vol. 15; no. 4; p. 511
• Main Authors: Ioanid, Alexandra, Andrei, Nistor
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.04.2025
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Academic misconduct; Accuracy; AI limitations; Analysis; Artificial Intelligence; Chatbots; ChatGPT in education; Cheating; Content Area Writing; Course Content; Critical Thinking; Curricula; Digital literacy; digitalization gap; Digitization; Dishonesty; Education; Educational Attainment; Educational Benefits; Educational Resources; Efficiency; English (Second Language); English as a second language; Essays; Generative artificial intelligence; Geography; geography education; Grammar; Higher education; Human-computer interaction; Influence of Technology; Instructional Materials; Integrity; Intellectual Disciplines; Knowledge Representation; Language Acquisition; Language Skills; Learning Experience; Literacy; Methods; Oral Tradition; regional knowledge gaps; Romania; Romanian history; Second language learning; Skills; Student writing; Teachers; Teaching methods; Vocabulary development; Romania
• ISSN: 2227-7102; 2227-7102
• DOI: 10.3390/educsci15040511

The integration of AI tools like ChatGPT in education has sparked debates on their benefits and limitations, particularly in subjects requiring region-specific knowledge. This study examines ChatGPT’s ability to generate accurate and contextually rich responses to assignments in Romanian history and geography, focusing on topics with limited digital representation. Using a document-based analysis, this study compared ChatGPT’s responses to local archival sources, monographs, and topographical maps, assessing coverage, accuracy, and local nuances. Findings indicate significant factual inaccuracies, including misidentified Dacian tribes, incorrect historical sources, and geographic errors such as misplaced landmarks, elevation discrepancies, and incorrect infrastructure details. ChatGPT’s reliance on widely digitized sources led to omissions of localized details, highlighting a fundamental limitation when applied to non-digitized historical and geographic topics. These results suggest that while ChatGPT can be a useful supplementary tool, its outputs require careful verification by educators to prevent misinformation. Future research should explore strategies to improve AI-generated educational content, including better integration of regional archives and AI literacy training for students and teachers. The study underscores the need for hybrid AI-human approaches in education, ensuring that AI-generated text complements rather than replaces verified academic sources.