BETWEEN EMPOWERMENT AND COGNITIVE DEPENDENCY: HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN FOSTERING INDEPENDENT LEARNING WITHIN ISRAELI HIGHER EDUCATION

Johara Khalaila (Bdarne)

Abstract


Generative AI has entered higher education faster than institutions have learned to guide it, and its effect on students' independence remains disputed. The present study asked how students in Israeli higher education perceive the role of AI in their formation as independent learners, a question the international literature has hardly examined in this national and linguistic context. A qualitative interpretive design was used, based on semi-structured interviews with thirty Arab students enrolled in Israeli institutions, conducted in Arabic around nineteen open-ended questions and analyzed through inductive thematic analysis with open coding and cross-question synthesis. Seven themes emerged. Participants framed AI as a supportive but non-substitutive academic assistant, used it widely for planning and time management, and reported gains in critical inquiry only where they verified its output, alongside clear warnings against passive reliance. Institutional guidance was described as thin, and students asked for training and boundaries rather than prohibition. Motivation rose as AI lowered difficulty, perceptions of geographical access were mixed, and integrity and dependency concerns cut across the interviews. The findings indicate that AI supports independent learning when the learner stays active and verifies, and that the guidance students request is the missing institutional condition.

Keywords


Generative AI, independent learning, self-regulated learning, learner autonomy, Arab students, Israeli higher education, critical thinking, cognitive dependency

Full Text:

PDF

References


Akhtar, N., Mazhar, U., Shehzadi, N., et al. (2026). AI dependency and cognitive offloading: Effects of generative artificial intelligence on memory retention, critical thinking, and decision-making among university students. ACADEMIA International Journal for Social Sciences, 5(3). https://doi.org/10.63056/academia.5.3(s4).2026.1921

Arif, H., & Naeem, J. (2025). The impact of generative AI on learner autonomy and critical thinking in English as a foreign language (EFL) writing classrooms. Journal of Applied Linguistics and TESOL, 8. https://doi.org/10.63878/jalt1249

Baldrich, K., Pérez-García, C., & Santamarina-Sancho, M. (2025). Artificial intelligence in academic literacy: Empirical evidence on reading and writing practices in higher education. Frontiers in Education, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1701238

Bikanga Ada, M. (2024). It helps with crap lecturers and their low effort: Investigating computer science students' perceptions of using ChatGPT for learning. Education Sciences, 14(10). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14101106

Carias, J., Figueroa, L., Jimenez, G., et al. (2025). Ethics, innovation, and learning: Student perspectives on generative AI adoption in university practices. Proceedings of the 5th LACCEI International Multiconference on Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Regional Development (LEIRD 2025). https://doi.org/10.18687/LEIRD2025.1.1.1076

Chan, C., & Hu, W. (2023). Students' voices on generative AI: Perceptions, benefits, and challenges in higher education. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-023-00411-8

Chung, J., Henderson, M., Slade, C., et al. (2026). The use and usefulness of GenAI in higher education: Student experience and perspectives. Computers and Education Open, 10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeo.2026.100347

Da, W. (2025). Revisiting Knowles' "self-directed learning" theory in the age of AIGC: A conceptual reconstruction based on the relationship between "technological dependence" and "learner autonomy" in adult learners with disabilities. iEducation. https://doi.org/10.71204/2683ef14

Dogaru, M., Pisica, O., Popa, C.-Ș., et al. (2025). The perceived impact of artificial intelligence on academic learning. Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/frai.2025.1611183

Du, X., Du, M., Zhou, Z., & Bai, Y. (2025). Facilitator or hindrance? The impact of AI on university students' higher-order thinking skills in complex problem solving. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 22. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-025-00534-0

Fan, Y., Tang, L., Le, H., et al. (2024). Beware of metacognitive laziness: Effects of generative artificial intelligence on learning motivation, processes, and performance. British Journal of Educational Technology, 55. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13544

Hooshyar, D., Pedaste, M., Saks, K., et al. (2020). Open learner models in supporting self-regulated learning in higher education: A systematic literature review. Computers & Education, 154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103878

Hua, J., & Cunningham, J. (2025). Two years after ChatGPT: A thematic analysis of first-year students' reflections on AI tool use in higher education. Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society. https://doi.org/10.1108/JICES-05-2025-0118

Kelly, A., Sullivan, M., & Strampel, K. (2023). Students' perceptions of generative artificial intelligence: A survey at an Australian university. Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems12100385

Kulgildinova, T., Artykbayeva, F., Yussupova, G., & Tursynova, G. (2026). Personalized game scenarios with AI support as a tool for developing autonomy in language learning. Izvestiya KazUMOiMYa imeni Abylai Khana, Pedagogical Sciences Series, 80(1). https://doi.org/10.48371/PEDS.2026.80.1.027

Lan, M., & Zhou, X. (2025). A qualitative systematic review on AI-empowered self-regulated learning in higher education. npj Science of Learning, 10. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-025-00319-0

Li, Z., & Tınmaz, H. (2025). Learner autonomy in higher education: A narrative review of definitions, operationalizations, models, measurement and theoretical foundations. Journal for Educating Gifted Young Scientists. https://doi.org/10.17478/jegys.1824359

Mohmad, R. (2025). Academic self-regulation reimagined in digital era. International Journal of Innovative Research and Creative Technology, 11(6). Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.62970/IJIRCT.v11.i6.2601009

Qu, X., Sherwood, J., Liu, P., & Aleisa, N. (2025). Generative AI tools in higher education: A meta-analysis of cognitive impact. CHI Extended Abstracts. https://doi.org/10.1145/3706599.3719841

Ravšelj, D., Keržič, D., Tomaževič, N., et al. (2025). Higher education students' perceptions of ChatGPT: A global study of early reactions. PLoS ONE, 20. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0315011

Ridlo, R. S., Iliasu, F. S., & Ma'rufah, S. (2026). AI-mediated critical thinking: A double-edged sword in Indonesian higher education. Attaqwa: Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan Islam, 22(2). https://doi.org/10.54069/attaqwa.v22i2.1155

Rohilla, A. (2025). Impact of excessive AI tool usage on the cognitive abilities of undergraduate students: A mixed method study. Advance Social Science Archive Journal, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.55966/assaj.2025.4.1.0115

Saad, S., & Abdullah, A. (2025). Exploring learner autonomy: A conceptual perspective on self-directed learning in higher education. International Journal of Modern Education, 7(24). https://doi.org/10.35631/IJMOE.724092

Singhachotsukpat, R., Thiangtham, K., Wilepana, C., et al. (2025). How critical thinking shapes student engagement with AI tools to foster self-directed learning. 2025 5th International Conference on Educational Communications and Technology (ICTAECT). https://doi.org/10.1109/ICTAECT67351.2025.11391283

Stöhr, C., Ou, A. W., & Malmström, H. (2024). Perceptions and usage of AI chatbots among students in higher education across genders, academic levels and fields of study. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2024.100259

Xue, L., Rashid, A. M., & Sha, O. (2024). The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) in higher education: A systematic review. SAGE Open, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241229570

Zhu, J.-Q., Guan, C., Zhang, H., et al. (2026). Examining the association between AI-enhanced education and medical students' self-directed learning using an integrated TAM-UTAUT2 model. Frontiers in Medicine, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2026.1817255

Zilberman, N. (2026). Generative AI in higher education: Conditions for supporting students' metacognitive regulation. Open Education, 30(1). Retrieved from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Generative-AI-in-Higher-Education%3A-Conditions-for-Zilberman/e42a2c681f916b26ee9b4415b7cac49298ccc9a1




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v13i7.6884

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2026 Johara Khalaila (Bdarne)

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Copyright © 2015-2026. European Journal of Education Studies (ISSN 2501 - 1111) is a registered trademark of Open Access Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

This journal is a serial publication uniquely identified by an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) serial number certificate issued by Romanian National Library (Biblioteca Nationala a Romaniei). All the research works are uniquely identified by a CrossRef DOI digital object identifier supplied by indexing and repository platforms. All authors who send their manuscripts to this journal and whose articles are published on this journal retain full copyright of their articles. All the research works published on this journal are meeting the Open Access Publishing requirements and can be freely accessed, shared, modified, distributed and used in educational, commercial and non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).