The Impact of AI Usage Frequency on Critical Thinking Skills among University Students: A One-Way ANOVA Analysis

Abstract

The rapid adoption of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools in higher education has sparked debate regarding their impact on students’ critical thinking abilities. While concerns about cognitive offloading are prevalent, empirical evidence regarding the rela-tionship between AI usage frequency and critical thinking remains limited. This study examines whether students who use AI tools at different frequencies demonstrate varying levels of critical thinking competence. A cross-sectional survey was administered to 400 university students, measuring critical thinking skills using a 12-item scale based on the California Critical Thinking Skills Test framework. Participants were categorized into five groups based on AI usage frequency: Never (n = 25), Rarely (n = 43), Weekly (n = 59), Few times a week (n = 154), and Daily (n = 119). A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to examine group differences. Results indicated no statisti-cally significant difference in critical thinking scores across AI usage frequency groups, F (4, 395) = 1.47, p = .212, η2 = .015. All groups demonstrated mean scores above the scale midpoint, with “Never” users (M = 3.86, SD = 0.68) and “Daily” users (M = 3.78, SD = 0.74) showing slightly higher scores than moderate users. The findings suggest that the frequency of AI use is not associated with critical thinking abilities, challenging assumptions that AI engagement necessarily impairs cognitive development. Implications for educational policy and pedagogy are discussed.