Generative AI in Education: fostering Critical Thinking or Promoting Dependency? / La IA generativa en la educación: ¿fomento del pensamiento crítico o fomento de la dependencia?
TL;DR
The findings show that GenAI supports critical thinking when embedded in structured learning activities that require students to question, evaluate, and revise AI-generated content, and highlight the importance of designing AI-supported learning environments that position AI outputs as objects of reasoning rather than sources of answers.
Abstract
This scoping review examines how generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools such as ChatGPT are used in educational contexts and how their use influences students’ critical thinking. A systematic search of four databases (Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, and IEEE Xplore), followed by screening and eligibility assessment, identified 25 empirical studies published between 2022 and 2025. The findings show that GenAI supports critical thinking when embedded in structured learning activities that require students to question, evaluate, and revise AI-generated content. Tasks such as debate, error detection, and guided writing revision consistently promote analytical reasoning and reflection. In contrast, unstructured use often leads to passive acceptance of AI outputs and reduced cognitive engagement. To account for this divergence, the review proposes the Task–Mediation–Internalisation (TMI) model, which conceptualises AI as a mediational stimulus within a Vygotskian developmental process. Within this system, critical thinking emerges through socially mediated interaction and potentially becomes internalised through repeated meaningful engagement. The findings highlight the importance of designing AI-supported learning environments that position AI outputs as objects of reasoning rather than sources of answers.