This study examined the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on Religious Studies education and its contribution to national development in Plateau State, Nigeria. Specifically, it explored the extent of AI adoption, its effect on teaching effectiveness, student learning outcomes, research productivity, and the broader influence on national development indicators, including peacebuilding, ethical leadership, digital literacy, and civic responsibility. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design with correlational and explanatory components. The population comprised 3,800 stakeholders, including Religious Studies teachers, lecturers, students, academic researchers, and institutional administrators from 5 Local Government Area of Plateau State with a sample of 380 respondents were selected using stratified random sampling. Data were collected using the structured Artificial Intelligence in Religious Studies and National Development Questionnaire (AIRSNDQ) and analyzed through descriptive statistics, Pearson Product Moment Correlation, and multiple regression analysis at a 0.05 significance level. The findings revealed strong positive correlations between AI adoption and teaching effectiveness (r = .821), AI adoption and research productivity (r = .864), and research productivity and national development (r = .902). These results indicate that AI integration significantly enhances instructional delivery, student learning, and scholarly output. Regression analysis confirmed that AI adoption, teaching effectiveness, and research productivity collectively explained 88.9% of the variation in national development outcomes (R? = 0.889). The study concluded that AI plays a transformative role in Religious Studies education by improving teaching quality, strengthening research capacity, and promoting national development. Recommendations include investment in AI-driven educational technologies, integration of AI competencies into Religious Studies curricula, and capacity-building programs for lecturers and students to maximize AI's educational and societal benefits.
Journal: The Nigerian Educator Journal of Education ISSN: 699-3-7
Copyright: © 2026 The Authors. Published under Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence.
The Nigerian Educator, being a multi-disciplinary Journal, is committed to publishing high-quality, peer-reviewed research that advances knowledge in the fields of Education, Humanities, Natural and Social Sciences.