Between personalization, inclusion, and governance: technopedagogical, sociotechnical, and normative regimes in artificial intelligence in education

Abstract

The expansion of Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED) has reshaped pedagogical practices, research agendas, and regulatory regimes within the international scientific landscape. This study examines the international scholarly production on the use of artificial intelligence in education, seeking to understand how benefits, challenges, tensions, and ethical implications are discursively structured in the field. Methodologically, a qualitative-quantitative approach was adopted, combining Discursive Textual Analysis with statistical processing through IRAMUTEQ, applied to 39 abstracts indexed in international databases. Lexical analysis, Zipf’s law distribution, Word Cloud, Descending Hierarchical Classification, and Correspondence Factor Analysis identified five classes organized into three interdependent macro-axes: learning personalization; technology-mediated pedagogical innovation and teacher centrality; and ethics, governance, and sociotechnical responsibility. The findings indicate that the field is undergoing a paradigmatic transition from a predominantly instrumental orientation toward a multidimensional configuration in which algorithmic efficiency, equity, and regulation operate as co-structuring regimes. In this context, three articulated regimes emerge: (i) a Technopedagogical Regime, oriented toward personalization and practical application; (ii) a Sociotechnical Regime, centered on inclusion, equity, and social impact; and (iii) a Normative-Regulatory Regime, structured by ethical guidelines and governance frameworks. The study concludes that the contemporary challenge lies not merely in expanding the use of AI in education, but in integrating it critically, ethically, and pedagogically in a socially responsible manner.