ChatGPT in undergraduate speech and language therapy education: students' perspectives and experiences

This study aimed to investigate the perceptions, experiences, and ethical awareness of undergraduate Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) students in Türkiye regarding the use of ChatGPT in academic and clinical education. As generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools rapidly expand in health sciences education, understanding how students adopt and apply these technologies is crucial for guiding their pedagogical integration.

A quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was employed. A total of 168 SLT students from various universities participated voluntarily. Data were collected using a 50-item structured questionnaire developed by the researchers. Content validity was established through expert review, and the overall reliability was high (Cronbach's α = 0.87). Data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 software through descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, and one-way ANOVA to examine class-level differences.

Findings indicated that ChatGPT was most frequently used for academic purposes, including understanding and summarizing lecture notes (75.0%) and literature review (66.1%). Usage was lower for clinical reasoning (35.1%) and case analysis (33.9%). Significant differences were observed between class levels in academic writing, therapy material preparation, and theoretical knowledge acquisition (p < .05). Most participants emphasized the need for institutional AI-use guidelines and AI literacy workshops. Furthermore, 83.9% agreed that ChatGPT cannot replace the therapist's role but can serve as a supportive tool in educational and clinical settings.

ChatGPT is increasingly utilized by SLT students as an effective learning and planning tool; however, its clinical and ethical applications are approached with caution. The results highlight the need for institutional policies and structured AI literacy programs to ensure the safe, responsible, and pedagogically sound use of AI tools in health professions education.