Background and Objective:Critical thinking is considered one of the essential skills of the twenty first century. Developing this skill among gifted students is particularly important due to their higher cognitive abilities and their need for challenging learning experiences. In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI)–based tools have emerged as innovative learning resources that can provide opportunities to strengthen the components of critical thinking. The present study aimed to examine teachers’ perceptions of the role of AI based tools in developing the components of critical thinking—analysis, interpretation, inference, and evaluation—among secondary level students in gifted schools in Babil Province, Iraq.
Method:This study employed a convergent mixed methods design. In the quantitative phase, data were collected using a researcher developed questionnaire based on the components of critical thinking. The instrument’s content validity was confirmed, and its reliability was established using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. The statistical population consisted of 57 teachers from three gifted schools. In the qualitative phase, data were gathered through semi structured interviews with six teachers selected via purposive sampling. The qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis.
Findings:The quantitative results indicated that teachers’ perceptions of the role of AI tools in fostering students’ critical thinking were at a desirable level. Among the examined components, interpretation had the highest mean score, while evaluation had the lowest. Furthermore, no statistically significant differences were found in teachers’ perceptions based on demographic variables such as gender, teaching experience, educational degree, age, and academic specialization (p > 0.05). The qualitative findings revealed that AI tools can support the development of analytical thinking and creativity by providing interactive learning opportunities, posing challenging questions, enabling the comparison of different perspectives, and strengthening problem analysis. However, several challenges were also identified, including superficial use of AI tools, excessive dependence on AI generated responses, and limitations in school infrastructure.
Conclusion:The findings suggest that AI based tools have considerable potential to support the development of critical thinking among gifted students. However, effective integration of these tools requires the design of targeted instructional strategies, professional training for teachers, the establishment of ethical frameworks for AI use, and the improvement of digital infrastructure in schools.