The double-edged sword of human-AI collaboration on design students’ competence development: The mediating roles of challenge and hindrance appraisals and the asymmetric moderation of teacher AI leadership

The deepening integration of generative AI into design education is driving a paradigm shift in human-computer AI collaboration (HAIC) -from mere tool assistance toward intelligent synergy. However, its dual impact on the competency development of design students and the underlying mechanisms remain insufficiently understood. Grounded in the Theory of Stress Appraisal, this study constructs a research model to examine the double-edged sword effect of HAIC on Design Competence (DC), introducing teacher AI Leadership (AIL) as a moderating variable. The aim is to reveal the psychological mechanisms and boundary conditions through which HAIC influences DC. Employing a questionnaire survey, this study conducted an empirical investigation involving 483 design students in East China. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 24.0 and Amos 23.0, encompassing reliability and validity tests, regression analysis, and Bootstrap mediation analysis. The results indicate that HAIC influences DC through dual pathways: it positively enhances DC by fostering Challenge Appraisal (CA) (β = 0.283, p < 0.01), which in turn positively predicted competence development (β = 0.363, p < 0.01), yielding a significant indirect effect of 0.103 (p < 0.01). Simultaneously, HAIC triggered Hindrance Appraisal (HA) (β = 0.271, p < 0.01), which negatively predicted competence development (β = -0.229, p < 0.01), yielding a significant indirect effect of -0.062 (p < 0.01). This constitutes a partial mediating mechanism characterized by "one positive, one negative" effect. Furthermore, Teacher AIL exhibits an asymmetric moderating effect: it significantly buffers the positive impact of HAIC on HA (β = -0.112, p < 0.01), indicating that high AIL can mitigate cognitive load and anxiety arising from technological uncertainty, yet it does not significantly amplify the positive pathway via CA (β = 0.001, p > 0.05). The findings suggest that the impact of HAIC on DC is not linear but rather a dialectical process contingent upon individual cognitive appraisal. The core value of Teacher AIL lies in "risk mitigation" rather than "creativity stimulation," offering a theoretical foundation for the intelligent transformation of educational design. At the practical level, it is imperative to facilitate from knowledge deliverers to cognitive facilitators in AI-augmented design education. By systematically developing AI instructional competencies and reforming assessment systems, educators can guide students toward establishing a healthy relationship with HAIC, thereby achieving the synergistic advancement of technological empowerment and humanistic literacy.