The Effect of Generative AI on Students' Critical Thinking Skills and Academic Motivation: The Mediating Role of Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

The widespread use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini by secondary and university students has led to the critical need to understand their impact on students' cognitive functioning at higher levels and their motivation and engagement in learning. Although international research has shown mixed results on the impact of generative AI on critical thinking, depending on the scaffolded use of the technology in instruction, there is very little evidence from the use of generative AI in critical thinking from Pakistani federal colleges and public universities, where pedagogical orientations, infrastructure, and teacher preparedness vary significantly from the contexts studied so far. This quasi-experimental explanatory sequential mixed-methods study thus investigates the impact of generative AI on students' critical thinking skills, which are measured by analysis, evaluation, and problem-solving, and academic motivation, which is measured by intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and whether the use of generative AI is a mediator between these two variables. The study will be based on over 150-300 grade 12 biology students from Islamabad Model College for Boys G-10/4 and F-8/4; undergraduate students of PMAS-Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi and National University of Modern Languages (NUML); and subject teachers selected purposively for the semi-structured interview. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, multiple regression, and bootstrapped mediation analysis will be used to analyze quantitative data, while thematic analysis will be used to explain and contextualize the statistical findings from qualitative interview data; instrument quality will be determined through Cronbach's alpha reliability testing and confirmatory factor analysis. The study is based on the theories of self-determination theory, revised taxonomy (Bloom), and the technology acceptance model. Results will help inform teachers, curriculum planners, and policymakers in the Federal Directorate of Education and FBISE system on the responsible use of generative AI in the instruction of Class 12 and undergraduate students and will indicate whether generative AI improves or hinders the critical thinking and motivation of Pakistani students.