ARISA Research Model : Competency Development Model for Researchers Augmented by Generative Artificial Intelligence

The integration of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) into educational research requires developing new competences. This process, however, reveals the insufficiency of current frameworks and the lack of validated training models needed for effective researcher guidance.

This study, conducted under the Design-Based Research (DBR) methodology, focuses on the development and validation of the ARISA (Abstract-Reflexive-Integrative-Systemic-Analytical) Research Model. The model is being explored with a group of six researchers during the practical application of the MIX-AI (Mixed-methods & AI for Methodological Literature Review). The data was collected over a period of four months. Participants completed Reflective Portfolios, a tool designed to capture their interactions with GenAI, as well as the interactions of the Focus Groups. To analyze the data, we used content analysis technique.

Preliminary results from the ongoing test cycle corroborate the relevance of the ARISA model's structure. The analysis of the portfolios shows that researchers mobilize three core cognitive competencies: Analytical thinking is employed for the curation and critical validation of AI outputs; Systemic thinking for contextualizing their ethical and methodological implications; and Abstract thinking for translating complex problems into effective interactions. Transversally, the Reflective and Integrative dimensions emerge as crucial: the former is manifested in questioning algorithmic biases and one's own assumptions, and the latter in the coherent articulation between AI-generated data and the researcher's own knowledge.

The mere application of cognitive competencies is insufficient without the mediation of the Reflective and Integrative dimensions. The ARISA Research Model, the main contribution of this research, offers an operational framework for researcher training programs. Instead of focusing solely on the instrumental use of technology, the model guides the development of a critical and methodologically grounded approach. This artifact aims to empower researchers to use GenAI to enhance their analysis, ensuring rigor and human agency in the scientific knowledge production process.