Critical thinking and knowledge in the age of AI
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20492375Keywords:
critical thinking, knowledge, artificial intelligence, higher educationAbstract
The growth of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education has reshaped information management and knowledge construction processes, posing novel challenges between automation and intellectual autonomy. In this context, the objective of this research is to analyze the relationship between university students' critical thinking and knowledge construction. This quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional study with a correlational-causal scope was applied to a sample of 200 undergraduate students from a Peruvian university. The Critical Thinking Questionnaire (CPC-2) and the COLLES scale were used, applying Spearman's rho coefficient. The results showed a very high positive correlation between overall critical thinking and university knowledge construction (Rho = 0.999; p < 0.05), with similar results in the substantive and dialogic dimensions. These findings indicate that higher levels of critical thinking are associated with more robust knowledge construction processes in AI-mediated contexts, highlighting the need to strengthen critical thinking in university education.
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