IMPACT OF GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ON STUDENTS’ CRITICAL THINKING AND ACHIEVEMENT IN SOCIAL AND CIVIC EDUCATION IN THE UNIVERSITY OF JOS

Abstract

This study examined the impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) on students’ critical thinking and academic achievement in Social and Civic Education in the University of Jos. The study was motivated by the increasing use of GenAI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot among university students and concerns regarding their influence on higher-order thinking skills and academic performance. A descriptive survey research design was adopted. The population comprised 129 postgraduate students (M.Ed and M.Phil) in Social and Civic Education, out of which 120 students were selected using simple random sampling. Data were collected using the Generative AI Usage Questionnaire, Critical Thinking Skills Scale, and students’ academic achievement scores. Mean, standard deviation, Pearson Product Moment Correlation, and t-test were used for data analysis at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that students use GenAI to a high extent for academic activities such as idea generation, summarization, concept clarification, and examination preparation. The study further found that GenAI has a significant positive relationship with students’ critical thinking skills (r = 0.68) and academic achievement (r = 0.72). In addition, a significant difference was observed between frequent and rare users of GenAI in terms of academic performance, with frequent users performing better. The study concluded that Generative Artificial Intelligence enhances students’ critical thinking and academic achievement when used responsibly and purposefully. However, overdependence on GenAI may reduce independent reasoning and deep learning. It was recommended that universities develop policies and training programmes on ethical and effective use of GenAI to promote academic integrity and strengthen critical thinking in higher education.