My new, artificial friend: Creative practices with GenAI in after school clubs

Ane Bjerre Odgaard; Thomas Enemark Lundtofte

My new, artificial friend: Creative practices with GenAI in after school clubs

Ane Bjerre Odgaard
, Thomas Enemark Lundtofte

University of Southern Denmark

Research output: Contribution to conference without a publisher/journal › Paper › Research › peer-review

Abstract

This study explores GenAI as an assistant in 8-10-year-old children’s creative practices in two Danish afterschool clubs. Based on participatory action research (Jensen, 2019), children, pedagogical professionals and
researchers engaged in experimenting communities (Thestrup, 2018). Approximately 60 children participated in voluntary activities, creating imaginative worlds and creatures by employing GenAI alongside cardboard, glue etc. Ethical considerations were upheld regarding parental consent and children’s assent (Docket
& Perry, 2011). Sociocultural interaction analysis (Wallerstedt et al., 2022) was used to analyze excerpts of
video observation. The analysis employs new-materialist (Ingold, 2010) perspectives to expand Kendric &
Drew’s (2016) conceptualizations of assistance in interaction, thus including more-than-human agents. Findings show assemblages of assistance unfolding across diverse agents, leading to reflections on human and
more-than-human agents’ alliances and dissonances in creative practices.

Original language	English
Publication date	8 May 2025
Number of pages	1
Publication status	Published - 8 May 2025

Keywords

Media, communication and languages
Generative Artificial Intelligence
agency
children and youth
children
aesthetics, design and media
creativity

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Cite this

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abstract = "This study explores GenAI as an assistant in 8-10-year-old children{\textquoteright}s creative practices in two Danish afterschool clubs. Based on participatory action research (Jensen, 2019), children, pedagogical professionals and researchers engaged in experimenting communities (Thestrup, 2018). Approximately 60 children participated in voluntary activities, creating imaginative worlds and creatures by employing GenAI alongside cardboard, glue etc. Ethical considerations were upheld regarding parental consent and children{\textquoteright}s assent (Docket \& Perry, 2011). Sociocultural interaction analysis (Wallerstedt et al., 2022) was used to analyze excerpts of video observation. The analysis employs new-materialist (Ingold, 2010) perspectives to expand Kendric \& Drew{\textquoteright}s (2016) conceptualizations of assistance in interaction, thus including more-than-human agents. Findings show assemblages of assistance unfolding across diverse agents, leading to reflections on human and more-than-human agents{\textquoteright} alliances and dissonances in creative practices.",

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AB - This study explores GenAI as an assistant in 8-10-year-old children’s creative practices in two Danish afterschool clubs. Based on participatory action research (Jensen, 2019), children, pedagogical professionals and researchers engaged in experimenting communities (Thestrup, 2018). Approximately 60 children participated in voluntary activities, creating imaginative worlds and creatures by employing GenAI alongside cardboard, glue etc. Ethical considerations were upheld regarding parental consent and children’s assent (Docket & Perry, 2011). Sociocultural interaction analysis (Wallerstedt et al., 2022) was used to analyze excerpts of video observation. The analysis employs new-materialist (Ingold, 2010) perspectives to expand Kendric & Drew’s (2016) conceptualizations of assistance in interaction, thus including more-than-human agents. Findings show assemblages of assistance unfolding across diverse agents, leading to reflections on human and more-than-human agents’ alliances and dissonances in creative practices.

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KW - children

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My new, artificial friend: Creative practices with GenAI in after school clubs

Abstract

Keywords

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