Artificial Intelligence-Driven English Learning Autonomy in College Students: The Mediating Role of Growth Mindset

In the digital learning environment, it is key to examine how artificial intelligence (AI) technology affects the way college students learn English. This study, with growth mindset as a mediating variable, constructs a structural equation model (SEM) to investigate the mechanism through which AI use influences college students’ English learning autonomy. Using a sample of 342 students from a university, data were collected via a questionnaire survey and analyzed through SEM made by R Studio. The results indicate that AI use greatly and positively predicts growth mindset (β = 0.249, p = 0.002), and growth mindset, in turn, greatly and positively predicts English learning autonomy (β = 0.626, p < 0.001). However, AI use does not exert a positive direct effect on autonomy (β = 0.014, p = 0.822), suggesting that growth mindset plays a fully mediating role (mediating effect = 0.156, p = 0.002; total effect = 0.170, p = 0.028) between the two. These findings show how personal psychological factors play an important role in supporting students’ autonomous English learning, particularly when engaging with AI-assisted learning tools. They also provide valuable insights into how AI-powered educational applications can be integrated into teaching strategies to help students’ independence in English learning.