THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN IMPROVING STUDENTS’ CRITICAL READING SKILLS AT EFL STUDENTS OF SULTAN AGENG TIRTAYASA UNIVERSITY

Abstrak

This study investigates the effectiveness of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in improving students’ critical reading skills in higher education. As digital technologies increasingly shape learning environments, AI offers potential to enhance higher-order thinking. This research employed a quantitative approach using a quasi-experimental one-group pretest–posttest design. The participants were 30 sixth-semester students enrolled in the Qualitative Research on ELT course at Universitas Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa, selected through purposive sampling. The instrument was a standardized critical reading test measuring students’ ability to identify main ideas, analyze arguments, evaluate evidence, detect bias, and draw conclusions. It included multiple-choice and short-response items to assess analytical comprehension. The treatment integrated AI-based tools for text analysis, summarization, argument mapping, and reflective questioning. Students also compared their interpretations with AI-generated feedback to enhance metacognitive awareness. The intervention was conducted over four meetings under guided supervision. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a paired-sample t-test. The findings revealed a statistically significant improvement in students’ posttest scores compared to pretest results at the 0.05 level. These results indicate that AI can effectively support critical reading development and foster deeper engagement with academic texts in EFL contexts.