Educational Artificial Intelligence as a Mediator of Critical Thinking Development in High School Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63803/prisma.v2n1.16Keywords:
Educational artificial intelligence, Critical thinking, High school education, Pedagogical mediation, Educational innovationAbstract
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into educational contexts has transformed teaching and learning environments, generating new forms of cognitive interaction between students, knowledge, and technology. Beyond its instrumental function, AI can operate as a mediating agent of critical thinking when its pedagogical integration is grounded in structured instructional principles. This study analyzes the role of educational artificial intelligence as a mediator of critical thinking development in high school students from a socio-constructivist and critical digital literacy perspective. The cognitive processes involved in interaction with intelligent systems, the quality of task design, and students’ ability to evaluate, contrast, and reconstruct AI-generated information are examined. Findings suggest that the impact of AI does not rely on its mere use but on the pedagogical framework guiding its implementation. The study concludes that artificial intelligence can strengthen analytical reasoning, argumentation, and informed decision-making skills, provided it is integrated within a structured framework of instructional regulation and formative assessment.
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