KMAN Publication Inc. (KMANPUB) Journal of Adolescent and Youth Psychological Studies (JAYPS) 2981-2526 7 Serial Number 50 2026 10 10 The Moderating Role of AI Literacy in the Relationships Between Generative AI Reliance, Academic Self-Efficacy, and Cognitive Engagement Among Adolescents The Moderating Role of AI Literacy in the Relationships Between Generative AI Reliance, Academic Self-Efficacy, and Cognitive Engagement Among Adolescents 1 17 10.61838/kman.jayps.6307 EN Journal Article 2026 07 22 <table> <tbody> <tr> <td> <p><strong>Objective:</strong> This study aimed to examine the relationships between generative AI reliance, academic self-efficacy, and cognitive engagement among Canadian adolescents and to determine whether AI literacy moderates the associations between generative AI reliance and these two academic outcomes.</p> <p><strong>Methods and Materials:</strong> A cross-sectional correlational design was employed with 612 secondary school students aged 14–18 years from Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, and Quebec, Canada. Participants completed self-report measures assessing generative AI reliance, AI literacy, academic self-efficacy, and cognitive engagement. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficients and multiple regression-based moderation analyses using the PROCESS macro in SPSS. Generative AI reliance was specified as the predictor, AI literacy as the moderator, and academic self-efficacy and cognitive engagement as separate dependent variables. Age, gender, grade level, and frequency of academic generative AI use were included as covariates. Interaction effects were examined using simple-slope and Johnson-Neyman analyses.</p> <p><strong>Findings:</strong> Generative AI reliance was significantly and negatively correlated with academic self-efficacy, r = -.36, p &lt; .001, and cognitive engagement, r = -.41, p &lt; .001, whereas AI literacy was positively associated with academic self-efficacy, r = .44, p &lt; .001, and cognitive engagement, r = .51, p &lt; .001. The moderation model predicting academic self-efficacy was significant, F(7, 604) = 51.11, p &lt; .001, R² = .372, and the interaction between generative AI reliance and AI literacy was significant, B = 0.18, SE = 0.04, β = .15, p &lt; .001, ΔR² = .021. The cognitive engagement model was also significant, F(7, 604) = 70.87, p &lt; .001, R² = .451, with a significant interaction effect, B = 0.21, SE = 0.04, β = .17, p &lt; .001, ΔR² = .025. In both models, the negative effects of generative AI reliance weakened as AI literacy increased and became nonsignificant at high levels of AI literacy.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> AI literacy appears to function as a protective factor that attenuates the negative associations of generative AI reliance with adolescents’ academic self-efficacy and cognitive engagement, highlighting the importance of developing critical, evaluative, and responsible AI competencies alongside increased educational use of generative AI.</p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> https://journals.kmanpub.com/index.php/jayps/article/download/6307/12109