مجلة العلوم وافاق المعارف
Volume 6, Numéro 1, Pages 185-210
2026-04-20

Generative Ai And Critical Thinking In Political Science Higher Education: Exploring The Threshold Effect



Authors : Benabbes Iness . Ghoul Hamza . Meghraoui Loukmane .

Abstract

This study examines how the intensity of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) usage relates to students’ critical thinking in political science higher education. Grounded in classical conceptions of critical thinking as a self-regulated process, it explores whether varying levels of AI use are associated with a threshold effect in which AI shifts from a cognitive scaffold to a partial substitute for independent reasoning. Using an exploratory quantitative design, survey data were collected from 179 political science students in Algeria. The findings reveal that higher AI usage intensity is associated with increased perceived learning gains but reduced critical thinking independence. These results suggest that the cognitive impact of generative AI is usage-dependent rather than inherently positive or negative.

Keywords

Generative Artificial Intelligence ; Critical Thinking ; Usage Intensity ; Threshold Effect ; Higher Education

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