ChatGPT’s pedagogical approach and the potential for hidden curriculum through school context proxies

Authors

  • Laurie Rubel University of Haifa
  • Shimrit Goidel University of Haifa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32674/nyqmx528

Keywords:

Generative AI, mathematics education, educational equity, mathematics pedagogy

Abstract

This study investigates ChatGPT-4's pedagogical approach through mathematics lesson plans and examines how school context descriptors influence its output. We generated 45 individual eighth-grade probability lesson plans across three conditions: a baseline prompt, a "Successful School" context, and a "Struggling School" context. Content analysis of the lesson plans and 368 teacher-action verbs revealed that the LLM favored a direct instruction model (across all conditions) and shifted in specific ways in response to school descriptors. "Successful School" prompts generated lessons with additional mathematics concepts and advanced technology integration, whereas "Struggling School" prompts produced lessons with more monitoring of students’ progress, reinforcement activities, and attention to socioemotional support. These findings suggest that LLMs may replicate patterns of educational stratification.

Author Biographies

  • Laurie Rubel, University of Haifa

    LAURIE H. RUBEL, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Haifa. Her research interests include mathematics education, teacher education, and educational equity. Email: LRubel@edu.haifa.ac.il

  • Shimrit Goidel, University of Haifa

    SHIMRIT GOIDEL is a high-school mathematics teacher and graduate student at the University of Haifa. Email: shimrit.goidel@gmail.com

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Additional Files

Published

2026-06-16

Issue

Section

STEM Education (regular)

How to Cite

Rubel, L., & Goidel, S. . (2026). ChatGPT’s pedagogical approach and the potential for hidden curriculum through school context proxies. American Journal of STEM Education, 24, 157-176. https://doi.org/10.32674/nyqmx528