WHEN ASSISTANCE REPLACES THINKING: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, COGNITIVE ENGAGEMENT, AND ACADEMIC RESPONSIBILITY IN UNIVERSITY EFL CONTEXTS
Keywords:
artificial intelligence, EFL, academic literacy, cognitive engagement, higher education, pedagogyAbstract
The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in higher education has profoundly altered how students read, write, and interact with academic language. In university English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts, AI is increasingly positioned as a supportive technology that enhances efficiency, accuracy, and learner confidence. However, this article argues that such framing risks overlooking the deeper cognitive and pedagogical consequences of AI-mediated language use. Drawing on applied linguistics, cognitive psychology, academic literacy studies, and critical pedagogy, the study critically examines how reliance on AI may reshape learners’ engagement with effort, meaning-making, and intellectual responsibility. Using a qualitative, interpretive synthesis of existing research combined with reflective analysis rooted in university EFL teaching practice, the article identifies emerging patterns of academic dependency that challenge traditional understandings of learning and authorship. The paper argues that when linguistic assistance replaces cognitive struggle, language risks losing its function as a tool for thinking. The study concludes by proposing pedagogical principles for ethically and intellectually grounded AI integration in university EFL instruction.
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