Extended TAM-based acceptance of AI for supporting critical thinking inacademic research: An examination of perceived benefits and challenges

Abstract

Given the current global issues and recent advancements in technology, twenty-first century/CT skills (CT) are not only essential for enhancing students’ lifelong learning and employability opportunities but also the overall quality of their education. In light of the scarcity of research on the perceived impact of Artificial intelligence (AI) on CT in higher education, the current study sets to offer an in-depth understanding of doctoral students’ perception regarding both the benefits and challenges of AI in navigating their academic endeavours and influencing their CT. Framed within extended technology acceptance model (TAM2) and employing a qualitative research, semi-structured interviews were conducted with fifteen doctoral students purposively selected from different national and international universities. A reflective thematic analysis was carried using NVivo software version 15. The participants unveiled the importance of CT in different academic tasks but lacked knowledge regarding related sub-skills. Students demonstrated high levels of perceived usefulness and ease of use of AI in aiding them at various aspects of academic research. It was also found that while AI stimulated critical and reflective thinking, it hindered creativity. Meanwhile, the findings shed lights on the limitations (linguistic and performance related) and drawbacks (academic dishonesty, over-reliance) of AI use. In light of the findings, the study provided a detailed and thorough understanding of the experiences of using AI tools to improve CT and academic research. This research extended the framework of extended TAM to the context of Gen-AI-assisted academic research by providing qualitative findings to support the different constructs of the framework. We call for implementing pedagogical methods that can effectively blend CT skills with AI applications.