Unscaffolded GenAI access was not associated with a significant difference in pre-service teachers' critical thinking relative to traditional learning¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r2 · q3 · i0 negligible
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i0 After controlling for pretest scores, adjusted posttest critical thinking scores did not differ significantly between the experimental and control groups, with a negligible effect size. → Zhang Jun 2026

Evidence¶

Zhang Jun 2026¶

Zhang Jun, Peng Yuting, Deng Xinyue, Zeng Qin, Wang Kai. (2026). The Impact of Unscaffolded GenAI Use on Pre-Service Teachers’ AI Readiness, Self-Regulated Learning, Critical Thinking, and Instructional Design Performance: A Quasi-Experimental Study. Behavioral Sciences. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16071114

q3 · i0 · causal · r2

One-way ANCOVA on critical thinking (six-item scale) with pretest as covariate in the quasi-experiment of 52 pre-service chemistry teachers; adjusted means were 4.05 in both groups. The article reports "F = 0.000, p = 0.997, η2 = 0.000, with a negligible effect size".

"The ANCOVA analysis showed no significant difference between the experimental and control groups, F = 0.000, p = 0.997, η2 = 0.000, with a negligible effect size."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Meta-reviews reach contradictory conclusions on whether AI reliance harms or helps critical thinking, with substantial design limitations limiting generalizability — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
• In an unscaffolded GenAI-permitted instructional design course, the control group outperformed the experimental group on posttest instructional design performance — related
• Unscaffolded GenAI access produced no significant advantage in pre-service teachers' AI readiness compared with traditional learning — related
• Unscaffolded GenAI access did not significantly change pre-service teachers' self-regulated learning relative to traditional learning — related
• Both the GenAI-permitted and control groups improved significantly in instructional design performance and AI readiness over the course, but not in SRL or critical thinking — related