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Description
This article reports on a mixed-methods study examining how students at Binh Duong University - Ca Mau Campus (BDU-CM) engage with digital learning tools and the extent to which that engagement has tipped into dependency. Drawing on Fredricks et al.’s (2004) three-dimensional engagement framework and Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2017), the study surveyed 250 undergraduates and conducted focus group interviews with 24 participants. The findings support concerns raised by Zhang and Xu (2024) call the “paradox of self-efficacy”: students appear confident and productive on the platform, yet that surface confidence often conceals a decline in independent thinking. Behavioral engagement was high (M = 4.42), but cognitive engagement lagged significantly behind (M = 3.05). Greater reliance on AI predicted lower cognitive engagement (β = -0.38, p < .01), while perceived autonomy support from instructors predicted higher cognitive engagement (β = 0.31, p < .05). These results point to a specific need: digital tools at BDU-CM must be redesigned to demand thinking, not merely reward submission.
Keywords: artificial intelligence (AI); digital learning tools; student engagement; cognitive engagement; AI dependency; higher education.
