Jurnal Pendidikan Progresif
Vol 16, No 3 (2026): Jurnal Pendidikan Progresif

The Paradox of AI-Assisted Learning: Analyzing Self-Regulated Learning Readiness Toward the Authenticity of Coding and AI Learning Outcomes

Fatmalia Nur Prihastuti (Department of Learning Technology, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta)
Mukhammad Luqman Hakim (Department of Learning Technology, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta)
Edward Harefa (School of Educational Technology, Beijing Normal University)



Article Info

Publish Date
22 Sep 2026

Abstract

This study examines how self-regulated learning (SRL) readiness relates to learning outcomes when students work with AI assistance versus when AI is withheld, in the KKA (Komputer, Koding, dan Kecerdasan Buatan) subject. A second aim is to propose and test the construct of pseudo self-regulated learning (pseudo-SRL) within prompt engineering tasks for AI-based image generation using Google Gemini. This quantitative correlational study involved 33 grade XI students at a senior high school based in a pesantren. Each student completed a 29-item SRL questionnaire, an AI-assisted practical test in which students created and revised prompts to generate and edit images, and a closed-book written test on prompt structure, AI limitations, and ethics, completed without AI support, as in a mid-semester test. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, paired-samples t-tests, and one-way ANOVA were used to analyze the data. Students scored markedly higher on the practical task (M = 78.8) than on the written test (M = 60.8), producing a performance-knowledge gap of t(32) = 7.63, p < .001, 95% CI [13.2, 22.8]. SRL showed only a weak, non-significant relationship with written test performance (r = .298, p = .092) and with practical scores (r = .125, p = .487); practical and written scores were themselves significantly correlated (r = .661, p < .001). The gap was descriptively narrowest among students with high SRL (12.0 points), though a one-way ANOVA showed this difference across SRL tertiles was not statistically significant, F(2,30) = 1.81, p = .181. No participants met the operational criteria for pseudo-SRL, and an exploratory clustering analysis also found no natural pseudo-SRL profile, suggesting that other factors drove the performance-knowledge gap. The paradox of AI-assisted learning also affects prompt-engineering tasks in KKA. We refer to students who fail to translate their metacognitive self-reports into an autonomous understanding of prompting principles as pseudo-SRL; this gap is masked by their proficiency with AI tools. Assessment designs that combine behavior-based self-regulation measures with both AI-assisted and AI-free tasks might be valuable in programming and AI education. The results point to the need for KKA curriculum designers to incorporate dual-assessment models that differentiate between independent mastery of concepts and performance with AI assistance, to allow AI tools to augment rather than substitute for foundational knowledge.Keywords: Generative AI, self-regulated learning, pseudo-SRL, programming education, performance-knowledge gap.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

jpp

Publisher

Subject

Education

Description

urnal Pendidikan Progresif is an academic journal that published all the studies in the areas of education, learning, teaching, curriculum development, learning environments, teacher education, educational technology, educational developments from various types of research such as surveys, research ...