The doctoral dissertation in the field of Computer Science will be examined at the Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology, Joensuu campus and online.
What is the topic of your doctoral research? Why is it important to study the topic?
My doctoral research examines how Generative AI affects students’ higher-order thinking, creativity, and cognitive processes during programming and debugging. It explores whether AI helps students not only perform tasks better and faster, but also develop deeper understanding, critical thinking, and long-term learning.
This topic is important because Generative AI is becoming part of everyday education. While it can improve students’ immediate performance, this does not necessarily lead to meaningful and lasting learning. My research highlights how AI can change the way students think and learn, as well as the risks of becoming too dependent on AI support.
What are the key findings or observations of your doctoral research?
One of the key findings of my doctoral research is that better performance does not necessarily lead to better learning. Students who used Generative AI performed better and faster in some debugging tasks. However, students who worked without AI showed stronger knowledge retention after seven weeks. Another important finding is that Generative AI can change the way students think and approach problems. Students who used AI showed stronger connections between comprehension, application, and creativity, while students who worked without AI showed stronger connections between analysis and evaluation. The findings also suggest that AI may support certain forms of creativity without necessarily improving overall creativity.
What makes my research valuable is that it goes beyond measuring immediate performance. It examines long-term learning and uses cognitive network analysis to explore how different thinking skills are connected when students learn with and without AI.
These findings are important for educators, researchers, and policymakers because they highlight the need to integrate AI into education carefully. The goal should not be only to help students complete tasks, but also to ensure they develop the skills to think, solve problems, and learn independently.
How can the results of your doctoral research be utilised in practice?
The findings of my doctoral research can help educators, educational institutions, and policymakers integrate Generative AI into teaching and learning more effectively and responsibly.
In practice, educators can use these findings to design learning activities that encourage students to think critically, evaluate AI-generated responses, and solve problems independently rather than simply accepting AI suggestions.
The research also highlights the importance of using AI as a learning assistant rather than a tool that provides direct answers. Strategies such as Socratic questioning, scaffolding, and gradually reducing AI support can help students develop deeper understanding and independent thinking skills.
What are the key research methods and materials used in your doctoral research?
My doctoral research consists of three interconnected studies using both quantitative and qualitative research methods. The first study was a systematic literature review of 14 empirical studies examining the use of ChatGPT in education. It helped identify important research gaps.
The second study used a quasi-experimental design involving 152 university students. It compared students who used Generative AI (LLAMA 3.1) during programming and debugging activities with those who worked without AI. Data were collected through assessments, surveys, interviews, and a retention test conducted seven weeks later. The third study involved 132 students and used cognitive network analysis to examine the relationships between five critical thinking skills: comprehension, application, analysis, evaluation, and creativity.
Together, these studies examined how Generative AI influences students' performance, thinking processes, creativity, and long-term learning.
Is there something else about your doctoral dissertation you would like to share in the press release?
My research is not against the use of Generative AI in education. Instead, it highlights the importance of understanding how AI affects the way students think and learn.
The doctoral dissertation of Yazid Albadarin, MSc, entitled Capturing the impact of generative AI on higher-order thinking, creativity, and cognitive dynamics during debugging will be examined at the Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology, Joensuu campus. The opponent will be Professor Petter Holme, Aalto University, and the custos will be Professor Mohammed Saqr, University of Eastern Finland. Language of the public defence is English.
For further information, please contact:
Yazid M. AlBadarin, [email protected], tel. 009 705 931 019 49
