Smart Tools, Smarter Minds? Learner-AI Interaction and AI Assistance on Critical Thinking in EAP contexts.

Although AI is reshaping education, its role in fostering critical thinking (CT) in EAP instruction—especially related to learner behaviors and CT development—remains underexplored. This study involved 102 Chinese undergraduates completing three AI-assisted writing tasks designed within Wen et al.’s hierarchical CT framework. This mixed-methods study combined questionnaires, learner reflection, task observations, and interviews to investigate learners’ perceptions, interaction patterns, and CT development, with quantitative data analyzed statistically, and qualitative data thematically coded and triangulated. Findings indicate that EAP learners perceived AI assistance as both pedagogically valuable and practically useful. Eight CT-oriented affordances of AI emerged from the data—providing references, supporting divergent thinking, synthesizing information, identifying logical gaps, enhancing clarity, stimulating metacognitive reflection, verifying data, and fostering intercultural awareness—which shaped how learners navigated tasks and positioned AI in learning. Post-task results revealed perceived improvement in CT-cognitive skills (e.g., Analyzing, Reasoning, Evaluating) and greater sensitivity to CT-intellectual standards (e.g., Logicality, Relevance). However, limited gains were observed in higher-order dimensions like Definiteness, Profundity, and Flexibility, probably due to linguistic constraints, low cognitive investment, or efficiency-driven usage patterns. Meta-CT was also minimal, with only limited traces in later tasks, highlighting the need for scaffolding to motivate reflective regulation. The study underscores the complementary role of peer collaboration in advancing CT, particularly in open-ended, cognitively demanding tasks where AI functioned as a catalyst for inquiry rather than as a content provider. Accordingly, it proposed an “AI-triggered, peer-constructed” model to support sustainable CT development in EAP classrooms, offering guidance for AI integration in Chinese higher education.