Critical thinking as a predictor of task functionality and artificial intelligence use among university students. A PLS-SEM approach

Abstract

The advancement of artificial intelligence in higher education has transformed academic practices and has increased the need to understand how students’ critical thinking competencies shape their interaction with technology-mediated learning environments. In this context, the present study aimed to examine the predictive associations between critical thinking dimensions, task functionality, and the frequency of artificial intelligence use among university students at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, Santo Domingo Campus, using a PLS-SEM model. The study followed a quantitative approach with a non-experimental, cross-sectional, and explanatory-predictive design. The sample consisted of 401 university students selected through intentional and voluntary non-probability sampling. Data were collected using a structured Likert-type questionnaire. SPSS was used for data screening, descriptive statistics, and preliminary reliability analysis. AMOS was used only for a preliminary covariance-based confirmatory factor analysis to examine the factorial structure of the instrument. The final measurement and structural models were estimated using PLS-SEM, with bootstrapping applied to assess the statistical stability of the structural paths. The findings indicated partial empirical support for the proposed model. Epistemic awareness was positively associated with task functionality, whereas task functionality showed the strongest statistically supported association with the frequency of artificial intelligence use. The remaining direct associations between critical thinking dimensions and task functionality or AI use frequency were not statistically supported. Critical thinking dimensions, task functionality, and artificial intelligence use constitute an interrelated system within the proposed PLS-SEM model. The findings suggest that epistemic awareness is associated with students’ perceptions of task functionality, and that task functionality is associated with the reported frequency of artificial intelligence use in higher education.