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Title
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From Automation to Agency: Using AI to Strengthen Year 12 Girls’ Critical Thinking
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Author
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Tina Huang
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Year Published
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2026
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Description
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As generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools become increasingly accessible, the need for students to critically evaluate and interpret automated feedback has become more pressing than ever. Furthermore, concerns have emerged regarding students’ tendency to engage with AI passively or treat its outputs as authoritative. This action research study investigated whether structured engagement with AI-generated feedback could strengthen evaluative critical thinking skills in Year 12 English students within a private all-girls school context in Brisbane, Australia. In response to growing concerns, this study implemented a structured framework in which a class of 23 girls were explicitly taught how to critique, reflect, and selectively apply AI-generated feedback to their own essay writing. Scaffolded reflective checkpoints and peer dialogue were embedded to support the development of evaluative judgement and independent learning. Data collection techniques included written student reflections, questionnaire responses, focus groups, interview clips and transcripts and lesson observations. Thematic analysis was used to interpret the data, with findings indicating that students demonstrated increased evaluative awareness, greater intentionality in their use of AI, and strengthened confidence in their own academic judgement. These findings are valuable for educators navigating AI integration in secondary classrooms and warrant further investigation, particularly in exploring the long-term development of evaluative judgement across year levels.
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Tags
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Technology, Teaching and Learning
