AI dependency differs by AI usage frequency and academic year but not gender¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (3 entries) · associational r1–r2 · q2 · i1–i3
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i3 AI dependency significantly varied across frequency of AI use (η² = 0.177). → Huang Q 2026 q2 i1 AI dependency differed across academic years with a small effect size (η² = 0.031), with seniors higher than juniors. → Huang Q 2026 (2) q2 i? AI dependency did not significantly differ by gender. → Huang Q 2026 (3)

Evidence¶

Huang Q 2026¶

Huang Q, Tu S, Lin J, Lu L and Lv C (2026). The dark side of AI in education: AI dependency as a mediator linking academic self-efficacy and teacher support to learning burnout among university students. Front. Psychol. 17:1889053. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1889053

q2 · i3 · associational · r1

One-way ANOVA in the group-difference analyses of the survey sample. AI dependency "significantly varied across frequency of AI use" with F(4,271) = 14.569, η 2 = 0.177, which the authors call a relatively larger effect size.

"AI dependency significantly varied across frequency of AI use [ F(4,271) = 14.569, p < 0.001, η 2 = 0.177]."

Huang Q 2026 (2)¶

Huang Q, Tu S, Lin J, Lu L and Lv C (2026). The dark side of AI in education: AI dependency as a mediator linking academic self-efficacy and teacher support to learning burnout among university students. Front. Psychol. 17:1889053. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1889053

q2 · i1 · associational · r2

One-way ANOVA across academic years in the same group-difference analyses, described as "a small effect size" with F(3,272) = 2.858, η 2 = 0.031; seniors reported higher AI dependency than juniors.

"a significant difference was observed across academic years with a small effect size [ F(3,272) = 2.858, p = 0.037, η 2 = 0.031], and post-hoc comparisons further showed that senior students reported higher levels of AI dependency than junior students."

Huang Q 2026 (3)¶

Huang Q, Tu S, Lin J, Lu L and Lv C (2026). The dark side of AI in education: AI dependency as a mediator linking academic self-efficacy and teacher support to learning burnout among university students. Front. Psychol. 17:1889053. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1889053

q2 · i? · associational · r1

Independent-samples t-test in the group-difference analyses; no statistically significant gender difference was detected, and equivalence was not tested.

"AI dependency did not significantly differ by gender ( t(274) = –1.053, p = 0.293)."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Gender — predictor: outcomes differ by group: a gap reflecting circumstances and treatment, not a cause

Related Claims¶

• Structural paths did not differ significantly across AI usage-frequency groups, though exploratory coefficients varied numerically — related
• Syntea usage rates differ slightly by gender, with female students (59.05%) higher than male students (54.94%) — related
• AI dependency is positively associated with learning burnout among university students — related
• Main structural paths remain substantively unchanged after controlling for gender, major, and AI tool use frequency — related