GENERATIVE AI TOOLS AND CRITICAL THINKING IN PRE-SERVICE ENGLISH TEACHER EDUCATION: AN INTEGRATIVE LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Generative artificial intelligence has entered language classrooms faster than teacher education programmes could respond. Future English teachers now use chatbots for planning, writing and feedback. However, this habit raises a serious question about their critical thinking. This article reviews research on generative AI and critical thinking. Its focus is pre-service language teacher education. The study follows the integrative review method, which combines theoretical and empirical sources in one analysis. Foundational works on critical thinking were analysed together with recent studies. These studies were published between 2019 and 2025. The analysis produced five themes. The first theme is the meaning of critical thinking. The next two present AI as a support and as a cognitive risk. The last two cover AI in language teaching and teachers' AI literacy. The review shows that AI itself neither builds nor destroys critical thinking. The decisive factor is the pedagogical structure around its use. Most studies, however, describe perceptions and give few staged models for teacher training. The article closes with five design principles for such a model. It also outlines directions for future empirical work in Uzbekistan and similar contexts.