Artificial Intelligence Diagnostics, Declining Innovation, Vacuousness and the Reading Culture of Undergraduates in Nigerian UniversitiesEvidence from Tai Solarin Federal University of Education, Ogun State

Abstract

The accelerating diffusion of generative artificial intelligence (AI) into higher education has raised concerns that the convenience of machine-produced text may be displacing sustained reading, independent reasoning and originality among undergraduates. This study examined the relationship between habitual AI use and the reading culture of undergraduates at Tai Solarin Federal University of Education, Ogun State, Nigeria, across four dimensions: over-reliance on summarisation and paraphrasing, reduced critical thinking, shallow reading habits, and neglect of conventional academic resources. The study integrates Vygotsky's sociocultural theory of learning and Bandura's social learning theory with human capital and absorptive-capacity perspectives, framing cognitive offloading as a problem of capability formation and not of pedagogy alone. A descriptive survey design was adopted. Eighty undergraduates were selected by purposive, criterion-based sampling and completed a structured twenty-item questionnaire measured on a four-point Likert scale, with a decision criterion of 2.50. Data were analysed using frequencies, percentages and mean ratings. Findings indicate that respondents are broadly aware of AI applications (x̄ = 3.10), acquire that competence informally through peers and social media rather than through institutional training (x̄ = 3.10), and routinely delegate summarisation, paraphrasing and conceptual explanation to these tools (cluster x̄ = 2.84). Respondents further reported asking AI to explain difficult concepts in place of consulting textbooks (x̄ = 3.15), diminished attention span for print materials (x̄ = 2.87), difficulty concentrating on extended academic texts (x̄ = 3.10), and reduced retention of course content (x̄ = 2.80). Notably, respondents did not report that academic texts had become harder to read (x̄ = 2.42), suggesting attenuated engagement rather than diminished capacity. Because respondents are pre-service teachers, any deficit in their own capability formation is potentially self-propagating across the education system. The study recommends curricular integration of critical thinking and AI ethics, assessment redesign that rewards process evidence, and institutional policy on acceptable AI use.