AI Literacy Facets in Design Education: A PLS-SEM Study of Learning Performance and Academic Well-Being

• Zuji Liang

  Author

Artificial intelligence (AI) is swiftly transforming design practice and, consequently, the skills anticipated of design students. Instead of perceiving AI literacy as a singular metric, recent research conceptualises it as a constellation of interrelated facets, including knowledge of AI, awareness of its affordances and limits, critical reflection, operational ability, ethical awareness, and emotional adaptability. This study examines how these facets jointly relate to learning performance and academic well-being in design education. We conducted a cross-sectional online survey with 475 students enrolled in design and related programmes in the United Kingdom, other European countries, and Australia. Employing Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM), we initially confirmed robust reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity for all constructs. The structural model demonstrated an adequate fit and considerable explanatory capability (R² for endogenous variables ranged from 0.62 to 0.78, with all Q² > 0). Three primary patterns emerged. First, AI knowledge operates as an upstream resource that strengthens awareness, critical reflection, operational ability, and ethical awareness, rather than functioning as a stand-alone dimension. Second, learning performance is primarily driven by a “recognise–reflect–produce” chain in which awareness and critical reflection mediate the effects of knowledge and operational skills on performance......

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