Overreliance on GenAI risks diminishing higher-order thinking skills and programming logic¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r3 · q2
Currency · newest study 2025 · checked against its sources 2026-10-27 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? The review reports that students' potential overdependence on GenAI tools may reduce understanding of programming logic and higher-order thinking skills. → Jemimah Nathaniel 2025

Evidence¶

Jemimah Nathaniel 2025¶

Jemimah Nathaniel, Solomon Sunday Oyelere, Jarkko Suhonen, Matti Tedre. (2025). Literature Review on the Integration of Generative AI in Programming Education. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40593-025-00524-3

q2 · i? · review · r3

Thematic synthesis across the reviewed studies; the review attributes the overdependence concern to Finnie-Ansley et al. and Hoq et al., stating reliance "may lead to reduction in understanding programming logic." No quantitative effect sizes are printed.

"A significant concern is the risk of students becoming overly dependent on these tools (Finnie-Ansley et al., 2022; Hoq et al., 2024). This reliance may lead to reduction in understanding programming logic, and higher-order thinking skills."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Critical Thinking — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

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• AI roles in learning communities risk passivity, diminished authenticity, and overdependence if reflective inquiry is bypassed — related
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• Reviewed literature reports risks of overreliance, AI errors in complex tasks, and students' uncritical acceptance of AI-generated outputs — related
• Delegating intellectual work to generative AI risks eroding epistemic agency through reduced critical effort and cognitive offloading — a broader claim this one bears on