Skripsi
EXPLORING SRIWIJAYA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ DEPENDENCY ON AI FOR LEARNING ACTIVITIES
The recent surge in the use of AI in education sparked the concerns about dependency on AI tools. The lack of research on the issue of AI dependency shows the urgency to further understand the phenomenon, specifically in how students interpret their dependency on AI, the factors that contribute to this dependency, and the extent of their dependency. The study involved ten students from the English Education program in a semi-structured interview. The thematic analysis method by Braun and Clarke (2006) conducted on the interview data suggests that AI dependency is a complex issue that involves students' cognitive, emotional, and psychological aspects to interpret them. High trust in AI’s input, emotional attachments and anthropomorphization towards AI, as well as internal conflict regarding AI use, was identified within participants’ interpretation of the issue. Additionally, the results find several factors that contribute to AI dependency, namely lack of confidence, lack of emotional support from lecturers and peers, and academic expectations, as well as the normalization of AI use due to social pressure. Lastly, it was found that AI has become embedded in students’ learning habits, showing a high reliance on the tool. The attempt to complete assignments without AI was followed by anxiety and discomfort, leading to students returning to AI to help them with their tasks, which further emphasizes the extent of their dependency on AI tools in their academic practices.