Generative AI and the Development of Critical Thinking in Ecuadorian Students: The Mediating Role of Teachers’ Pedagogical Strategies

Abstract

The expansion of generative artificial intelligence poses challenges for developing critical thinking and preserving students’ intellectual autonomy. This study analyzed its relationship with critical thinking among Ecuadorian students and explored the role of teachers’ pedagogical strategies. A qualitative, exploratory, and descriptive documentary study was conducted using academic database searches, a data extraction matrix, and reflexive thematic analysis. Documented educational sequences were retrospectively reconstructed, and Ecuadorian evidence was compared with international findings. The results identified guided inquiry, argumentation, debate, and reflection as practices supporting teacher guidance. In an Ecuadorian intervention involving 25 students, the mean self-reported critical thinking score increased from 16.96 to 37.60 after activities using ChatGPT. International findings showed that improvements during assisted tasks do not necessarily persist in independent assessments and that student engagement is associated with critical thinking performance. These findings suggest the relevance of pedagogical design in guiding the educational use of these tools, although they do not statistically establish teachers’ mediating role, demonstrate causality, or support generalization to Ecuadorian students. The study concludes that their integration requires reflective guidance and assessment of independent reasoning through longitudinal studies and objective measures.