Generative AI as Instructional Scaffolding: Effects on Critical Thinking and Classroom Engagement in Secondary Education

Abstract

This study examined the effects of generative artificial intelligence as instructional scaffolding on secondary school students’ critical thinking and classroom engagement. A quantitative quasi-experimental method with a nonequivalent pretest–posttest control group design was applied to 64 eighth-grade students at SMP Negeri 1 Kota Bima, comprising 32 students in the experimental group and 32 students in the control group. The experimental group participated in eight generative artificial intelligence-supported learning sessions involving problem identification, information exploration, response verification, collaborative discussion, problem-solving, and reflection, while the control group received conventional instruction. Data were collected through a 20-item critical thinking test, structured classroom observations, and documentation. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, normality and homogeneity tests, normalized gain analysis, independent-samples testing, and effect-size analysis. The experimental group achieved a higher posttest mean score than the control group, with scores of 93.75 and 78.30, respectively. The normalized gain was 0.57 in the experimental group and 0.22 in the control group. The differences in posttest and normalized-gain scores were statistically significant, with a large effect size of 0.87. Classroom engagement also reached 92.11 percent in the experimental group compared with 71.80 percent in the control group. These findings demonstrate that generative artificial intelligence effectively supports critical thinking and classroom engagement when used as guided instructional scaffolding rather than as a provider of final answers.