Erosion of Critical Academic Skills Due to AI Dependency Among Tertiary Students: A Path Analysis

Abstract

This chapter investigates the perceived erosion of critical academic skills among 745 university students due to dependency on AI tools. The survey measured six key constructs: AI Dependency (AID), Cognitive Offloading (CO), Motivational Decline (MD), Academic Skills Erosion (ASE), Academic Integrity Awareness (AIA), and External Pressures (EP), using a five-point Likert scale. Path Analysis was employed to examine the interrelationships among these constructs. The results revealed a strong positive relationship between AID and both CO and MD, which indicated that the increased reliance on AI leads to reduced cognitive engagement and diminished academic motivation. Additionally, CO and MD were positively associated with ASE, which means that students who offload cognitive tasks and experience MD are more likely to exhibit deteriorating academic skills. While AIA had a weak negative relationship with AID, EP showed a moderate positive association and highlighted the role of academic stress in driving AI reliance.