From AI Assistance to Critical Thinking: Exploring Cognitive Offloading and Metacognition as Mechanisms within Personalized Learning Environments

Abstract

The rapid adoption of AI-assisted learning tools in higher education has completely transformed the undergraduate study system, but empirical evidence on their impact on deep cognition and learning processes is limited. This study investigates the effects of AI-assisted learning tool usage on metacognition, cognitive offloading, personalized learning, and critical thinking among Sri Lankan undergraduates. Using positivism philosophy and a deductive quantitative approach, data were collected from 379 students in computing, management, and engineering subjects through a 35-items, five-point Likert scale questionnaire, and analyzed using PLS-SEM. The findings reveal significant direct, indirect, and moderating relationships among key variables, suggesting that the use of AI-assisted learning tools influences students’ learning regulation, reliance on external support, and development of higher-order thinking. This study provides empirical evidence for the cognitive and psychological effects of AI-assisted learning tools, and helps address an important research gap, and offers practical insights for educators, curriculum developers, and policymakers to use balanced and effective AI integration in higher education.