FORMATION OF CRITICAL THINKING AS A KEY COMPETENCE OF FUTURE CHEMISTRY TEACHERS USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Abstract

DOI: https://doi.org/10.26565/2074-8922-2026-86-14

Objective. To identify the issues of forming critical thinking of future chemistry teachers in the context of the implementation of artificial intelligence in the educational process of higher pedagogical education institutions.

Methods. The study was conducted on the basis of higher pedagogical education institutions with the participation of 87 bachelor's degree applicants for higher education in the educational program "Secondary Education (Chemistry)". A set of methods was used to collect empirical data: author's survey using the questionnaire "Critical thinking of a future chemistry teacher in the context of the use of artificial intelligence" (24 questions, Likert scale 1–5 points); pedagogical observation of the activities of applicants while solving situational and methodological problems in chemistry with the involvement of AI tools; content analysis of educational products (lesson summaries, didactic materials, analytical essays); expert assessment using a map with four criteria. The experiment covered the ascertaining and formative stages.

Results. At the ascertaining stage, it was found that 24.7% of applicants regularly use AI tools (ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot) in educational activities, however, only 7.4% systematically verify the reliability of AI-generated chemical content. Three strategies of applicants' interaction with AI were identified: "uncritical copying" (32.1%), "partial verification" (44.8%) and "critical analysis" (23.1%). In 38.4% of educational products, chemically incorrect content was recorded, in particular errors in chemical equations, formulas and explanations of reaction mechanisms. The average quality indicator of critical analysis of AI-generated content according to expert assessment was 2.1 points out of 5. After the implementation of pedagogical conditions at the formative stage, significant positive dynamics were recorded: the share of applicants with the “critical analysis” strategy increased from 23.1% to 54.3%; the average quality indicator of critical analysis increased from 2.1 to 3.9 points; the share of chemically incorrect educational products decreased from 38.4% to 12.6%; the number of applicants convinced of the need to verify AI content increased from 16.7% to 23.3%.

Conclusions. It was found that the effective formation of critical thinking of future chemistry teachers in the context of AI integration is ensured by a set of the following innovations: purposeful inclusion of tasks for critical analysis of AI-generated chemical content in the methodological training system; systematic use of situational and methodological tasks in chemistry in interaction with AI tools; formation of a conscious understanding of typical AI errors in the chemical context; development of a reflective culture of using AI as a tool of professional pedagogical activity. The results of the study prove that the implementation of the identified innovations ensures a qualitative change in the nature of interaction of future chemistry teachers with AI - from uncritical reproduction of generated content to its conscious, scientifically substantiated use in educational practice.