Writing proficiency and digital critical thinking were strongly associated, and the association strengthened from pretest to posttest¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causal r2 · q2 · i3 large
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i3 Writing proficiency and DCTS correlated substantially at pretest (r = 0.81) and more strongly at posttest (r = 0.94) in the full sample. → Alshehri OAO 2026 q2 i3 Writing gain scores and DCTS gain scores were strongly correlated (r = 0.93): participants who improved more in digital critical thinking tended to improve more in writing. → Alshehri OAO 2026 (2)

Evidence¶

Alshehri OAO 2026¶

Alshehri OAO, Lamouchi A, Abdellatif MS, Al-Dosari MNA, Mekheimer M and Nemt-allah MA (2026). From tool to scaffold: structured human–AI collaboration and its effects on academic writing and digital critical thinking among Saudi EFL learners. Front. Psychol. 17:1830103. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1830103

q2 · i3 · causal · r2

Pearson correlation analysis in the full sample (N = 53) reported in the results section. The writing–DCTS association was strong at both time points and "strengthened markedly at posttest", with all correlations significant at p < 0.001.

"The relationship was substantial at pretest (r = 0.81, 95% CI [0.69, 0.89], p < 0.001) and strengthened markedly at posttest (r = 0.94, 95% CI [0.90, 0.97], p < 0.001)."

Alshehri OAO 2026 (2)¶

Alshehri OAO, Lamouchi A, Abdellatif MS, Al-Dosari MNA, Mekheimer M and Nemt-allah MA (2026). From tool to scaffold: structured human–AI collaboration and its effects on academic writing and digital critical thinking among Saudi EFL learners. Front. Psychol. 17:1830103. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1830103

q2 · i3 · causal · r2

Gain-score (posttest minus pretest) Pearson correlation in the same full sample. The r = 0.93 association indicates co-development of the two outcomes across the intervention interval rather than a static relationship.

"Gain-score correlations were similarly strong ( r = 0.93, 95% CI [0.88, 0.96], p < 0.001), indicating that participants who improved more in digital critical thinking tended to also improve more in writing proficiency across the instructional interval."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Structured AI-supported writing instruction produced a very large posttest advantage in digital critical thinking/AI literacy (DCTS) over traditional instruction — related
• Structured AI-supported writing instruction produced a large posttest writing proficiency advantage over traditional instruction in Saudi EFL undergraduates — related
• Pre-test scores strongly predict post-test scores but not normalized learning gains — related
• The pretest-posttest correlation is a factor in determining a study's statistical power in education evaluations using state assessments. — related
• Pretest-posttest correlation coefficients for state assessment data vary by student achievement level (low-performing, average-performing, proficient). — related
• English learners' mathematical performance was positively correlated with English proficiency, more strongly for explanations than calculations — related