Does ChatGPT Enhance or Hinder Critical Thinking? Non-English Department Students’ Perception in EFL Classrooms

This experimental study investigates the impact of ChatGPT, an AI-powered language model, on the development of critical thinking skills in English language learning among Public Administration department students. Amid the growing integration of artificial intelligence in educational settings, the research aims to determine whether ChatGPT functions as a tool that enhances or hinders EFL learners’ cognitive engagement and analytical reasoning in non-English major. A total of 186 undergraduate students participated in this study. The quasi-experimental design is used and data were collected through pre-test and post-test control group structure measuring critical thinking ability in EFL classroom. Across proficiency levels, the analyses revealed that the use of ChatGPT in EFL classrooms did not yield statistically significant improvements in students’ critical thinking skills. These findings suggest that the integration of ChatGPT neither significantly enhanced nor hindered students’ critical thinking performance within the context of this study. The study contributes to the ongoing discourse on AI in education and provides pedagogical recommendations for integrating AI tools to foster higher order thinking in EFL contexts, especially in non-English departments.