The Impact of AI Mentors on Undergraduate Research Competence

The questionnaire was distributed in late May, as the period from May to June each year is the peak season for undergraduates’ graduation thesis defense and a critical stage for applying for research projects. By this time, students have accumulated certain experience and awareness of relevant research activities, which helps to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of their use of AI tutors. A total of 821 valid questionnaires were collected, with the following sample characteristics:· Gender: 222 males (27.04%) and 578 females (72.96%);· Academic year: 237 freshmen (28.87%), 266 sophomores (32.40%), 188 juniors (22.90%), 77 seniors (9.40%), and 53 graduates (6.46%);· Major field: 68 students in science, engineering, agriculture, and medicine (8.28%), 38 in humanities and social sciences (4.63%), 707 in economics, management, law, and education (86.11%), and 8 in art and design (0.97%).