Equity disparities in GenAI Tutor use appear in how students engage, not in whether or how much they use the tool¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Institutional selectivity was not significantly associated with adoption or usage intensity, but engagement quality differed systematically by selectivity. → Youjie Chen 2026

Evidence¶

Youjie Chen 2026¶

Youjie Chen, Xixi Shi, Xinyu Liu, Shuaiguo Wang, Tracy Xiao Liu, Dragan Gašević. (2026). Not All Students Engage Alike: Multi-Institution Patterns in GenAI Tutor Use. arXiv preprint. https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.00447 doi:10.48550/arxiv.2602.00447

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Regression analysis of adoption and usage intensity across 200 classes found no significant selectivity association, while session-level and student-level engagement types differed by selectivity. The authors state inequities "may be obscured by whom or how much they use these tools, but revealed in how they use these tools."

"institutional selectivity was not significantly associated with adoption or usage intensity, suggesting that differences in overall engagement were closely related to disciplinary contexts but not institutional selectivity."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Students at highly selective institutions show more deep and routine-learning engagement and less exam-driven engagement with a GenAI Tutor — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• STEM students adopt the GenAI Tutor less and use it differently than non-STEM students, with more shallow and routine-learning engagement — related
• Access and resource disparities in AI usage widen divides among postsecondary students — a broader claim this one bears on
• GenAI Tutor adoption was widespread but usage intensity was highly skewed, with adoption peaking early in the semester while intensity rose steadily — related
• Four distinct session-level engagement types emerge in GenAI Tutor use: Deep, Shallow, Routine-Learning, and Exam-Driven — related
• Staff raised equity concerns that students who pay for upgraded GenAI tools gain an advantage over peers using free versions — related