GenAI dependence weakens the positive association between GenAI use and both student outcomes, attenuating it to statistical non-significance at high dependence¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 2 studies · 2 associational r2 · q2 · i2 medium
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i2 The GenAI use × GenAI dependence interaction is negative and significant for critical-thinking disposition (β = −0.239) and employability (β = −0.191), both p < 0.001. → Shojaei SA 2026 q2 i? Simple slopes are significant at low and mean dependence but not at high dependence, where confidence intervals include zero. → Shojaei SA 2026 (2)

Evidence¶

Shojaei SA 2026¶

Shojaei SA, Armosh F, Lihe R, Hamacha R and Labib J (2026) Helpful or harmful? generative AI dependence, self-reported critical thinking disposition, and self-perceived employability among business students. Front. Educ. 11:1885990. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2026.1885990

q2 · i2 · associational · r2

Latent interaction estimated via a two-stage procedure in PLS-SEM with 412 respondents; f2 values were 0.070 and 0.065 (small). CB-SEM with matched-pair product indicators estimated −0.391 and −0.262, same direction and significance.

"The interaction term GenAI use × GenAI dependence was negative and significant for self-reported critical thinking disposition (β = −0.239, p < 0.001; H4) and self-perceived employability (β = −0.191, p < 0.001; H5), indicating attenuation of the GenAI use–outcome association at higher dependence levels"

Shojaei SA 2026 (2)¶

Shojaei SA, Armosh F, Lihe R, Hamacha R and Labib J (2026) Helpful or harmful? generative AI dependence, self-reported critical thinking disposition, and self-perceived employability among business students. Front. Educ. 11:1885990. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2026.1885990

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Simple-slopes analysis at −1 SD, mean, and +1 SD of dependence (Figure 3). For critical-thinking disposition the slope decreased from 0.424 at low dependence to −0.054 at high; for employability from 0.446 to 0.064. The article describes "progressive attenuation rather than a uniform reversal".

"The slopes at low and mean levels of GenAI dependence are statistically different from zero for both outcomes, whereas the slopes at high dependence are not, as their confidence intervals include zero"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• GenAI dependence is negatively associated with both self-reported critical-thinking disposition and self-perceived employability — related
• GenAI use is positively associated with GenAI dependence among business students — related
• GenAI use is positively associated with self-perceived employability among business students — related
• GenAI training attenuates the predictive effect of prior GenAI experience on revision performance — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Transformative feedback attenuated the positive association between joy and regulatory behavior, and adaptive feedback moderation was otherwise limited, not supporting H2 — related
• GenAI use is positively associated with self-reported critical-thinking disposition among business students only in the adjusted structural model, with a near-zero zero-order correlation — related
• Self-reported critical-thinking disposition is positively associated with self-perceived employability among business students — related