The rapid integration of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) into higher education is transforming how university students access information, engage with learning tasks, and approach complex academic problems, making it increasingly important to understand the cognitive mechanisms that support effective AI-assisted learning. The effects of cognitive agility, Generative AI-assisted learning, metacognitive competence, and problem solving with an emphasis on the mediating role of metacognitive competence on university students in Punjab and Sindh, Pakistan were analyzed. A quantitative, cross-sectional research design was utilized. 397 students were selected from universities using an adopted structured questionnaire filled in using the online Google Forms. Data was collected and analyzed in SPSS after being organized and screened in Microsoft Excel. Among the study variables, cognitive agility and Generative AI learning had a positive correlation which was statistically significant and explained metacognitive competence and problem solving. In terms of predictors, cognitive agility, Generative AI learning, and metacognitive competence had a positive correlation which was statistically significant and explained problem solving, with metacognitive competence having a more significant contribution. According to the mediation analysis, metacognitive competence was a significant mediator of the relation between cognitive agility and problem solving and between Generative AI learning and problem solving. This means that in terms of flexible thinking and learning enhanced by AI, planning, monitoring, evaluating and controlling one’s cognitive processes is a crucial factor in the effective resolution of problems. This study indicates that describing Generative AI as a teaching tool would not be enough. Teaching flexible thinking and planning, monitoring and controlling through metacognition is of equal importance. These findings can help higher education professionals, curriculum developers, and policy creators build responsible, reflective, and cognitively empowering AI-enabled learning environments in universities.
Imran Mughal, Mehtab Panhwar, Elishba Khalil Akhtar· Journal of Global Social Tra...· 0 citations
The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into higher education is reshaping how university students access information, engage with learning, and develop academic competencies. However, limited empirical research has examined AI-augmented cognition as a broader educational phenomenon connecting students’ cognitive use of AI with both academic and practical outcomes. This study examined the relationship of AI-augmented cognition with financial awareness, learning engagement, and students’ academic development among university students in Pakistan. A quantitative cross-sectional research design was adopted, and data were collected from 467 university students enrolled in higher education institutions across Punjab and Sindh, Pakistan. An adapted structured questionnaire containing established measures of AI-augmented cognition, financial awareness, learning engagement, and academic development was administered through Google Forms, and the survey link was distributed electronically to eligible respondents through academic and student networks. The collected responses were organized and screened before being analyzed quantitatively to examine relationships, predictive patterns, and differences among relevant student groups. The findings revealed that AI-augmented cognition was positively associated with financial awareness, learning engagement, and students’ academic development, with the strongest relationship observed with academic development. AI-augmented cognition also demonstrated a meaningful predictive contribution to all three outcomes, indicating that students who engaged more actively with AI as a cognitive resource tended to report greater financial awareness, stronger learning engagement, and enhanced academic development. Furthermore, students with previous generative AI experience demonstrated comparatively higher levels of the major study variables, while differences were also observed across varying levels of AI-use frequency. These findings highlight that the educational significance of AI extends beyond technological adoption and conventional academic assistance, suggesting that purposeful AI use may support students’ cognitive development, engagement with learning, and practical awareness of financial matters. The study contributes to the emerging literature by positioning AI as a cognitive augmentation resource rather than merely a digital learning tool and provides practical implications for higher education institutions seeking to promote AI literacy, critical evaluation, responsible AI use, and meaningful student development.
Imran Mughal, Memoona Aslam, Zahid Hussain Sahito· Journal of Global Social Tra...· 0 citations