Plugged in but disconnected in the age of AI : a qualitative case study exploring the causality orientations of Gen Alpha students at a public high school in North Texas.

Generation Alpha, comprising individuals born between 2010 and 2024, represents the first generation to grow up entirely immersed in digital technology and artificial intelligence. Despite assumptions about their digital nativity, little research has explored how these students actually experience and describe educational technology based on their underlying motivational orientations. The purpose of this study was to explore how Generation Alpha students at a public high school in North Texas describe their causality orientations in educational experiences with AI and emerging technologies. In this qualitative single case with embedded units of analysis, I employed semi-structured interviews and focus groups with six participants enrolled in Early College High School and Career and Technical Education programs. Data collection occurred between February and March 2025, and analysis followed Creswell and Poth’s (2018) iterative spiral approach using both deductive coding aligned with causality orientations theory and inductive coding to allow for emergent themes. Trustworthiness was established through methodological triangulation, peer debriefing, and thick description. Four key themes emerged from the analysis: (1) supportive but conditional nature of technology, where students valued digital tools but emphasized the necessity of thoughtful integration and human-mediated instruction; (2) technology saturation leading to disengagement, as pervasive screen-based instruction created boredom and reduced interactive learning opportunities; (3) screen-mediated fatigue and passivity, with students describing feelings of disconnection when required to complete most work on screens; and (4) threatened competence and diminished agency, where overreliance on AI tools combined with inconsistent instructional support eroded students’ academic confidence and sense of personal control over learning. Findings revealed that all participants demonstrated aspects of each causality orientation depending on context, challenging assumptions about fixed motivational orientations and prevailing narratives about Generation Alpha’s automatic acceptance of educational technology. The study contributes to self-determination theory literature by demonstrating how different technology implementations can either support or undermine students’ psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, with implications for administrators, educational technology developer, and higher education leaders.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Grantor

Baylor University.

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Gonzalez, Valerie, 1995-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Foster, Marquita D.

• Generation Alpha.
• Educational technology.
• Artificial intelligence (AI)
• Self-determination theory.
• Causality orientations.
• Technology integration.
• Student motivation.
• Digital natives.

Statement dc:rights

• Baylor University works are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission.

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/2104/14132

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:baylor-ir.tdl.org:2104/14132