Technology and artificial intelligence integration in education in top-performing countries of the PISA 2022 assessment: Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Estonia, and Canada

This study AIms to comparatively examine the digital transformation strategies and artificial intelligence (AI) applications in the education systems of five high-performing countries (Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Estonia, and Canada) based on the PISA 2022 results. The research was conducted using qualitative research methods, specifically document analysis. Within the scope of the study, a total of 13 official websites (including national AI strategy documents, ministry of education reports, and publications by international organizations), 274 postgraduate theses, 118 articles, 56 reports, and 81 international agreement texts were systematically analyzed using content analysis techniques. For the content analysis, five categories (themes) and ten codes were identified. The research findings reveal that successful countries follow four common strategies for digital transformation in education: (1) early-age digital literacy education, (2) technology integration in teacher tralning, (3) AI solutions developed through public-private partnerships, and (4) data-driven education policies. In particular, Estonia's "e-Estonia" vision and Singapore's "Learn for Life" approach stand out as successful examples of holistic, nationally planned strategies. This study provides important insights for Turkey's FATİH Project and similar digital transformation initiatives. The findings highlight the critical importance of teacher tralning and curriculum alignment alongside technological investments. The research alms to offer policy recommendations to guide the development of AI applications in education.