Building Buoyancy: AI Coaching to Support Year 10 Girls Through Uncertainty in Historical Inquiry · ICGS Research Library

Title

Building Buoyancy: AI Coaching to Support Year 10 Girls Through Uncertainty in Historical Inquiry

Author

Noni Harrison

Year Published

2026

Description

This action research study investigated the impact of a custom artificial intelligence (AI) coach on Year 10 girls’ academic buoyancy during a seven-week historical inquiry project. The AI coach aimed to enhance students’ persistence through the cognitive and affective challenges of inquiry by providing stage-specific scaffolding aligned with Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process (ISP) (Kuhlthau et al., 2012) and the 5Cs of academic buoyancy (Martin & Marsh, 2008). Quantitative and qualitative data were collected within a convergent mixed-methods design. Thematic analysis revealed that AI coaching supported students’ academic buoyancy by normalising uncertainty and providing strategic guidance at critical stages. The findings highlight the potential of pedagogically designed AI coaching to extend teacher support and enhance students’ persistence in inquiry learning.