Dede Rusmana, Cipto Wardoyo, Wahjoedi, Hadi Sumarsono
In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education. The primary aim of this paper is to synthesise experimental evidence on AI-supported interventions grounded in cognitive frameworks and to examine how their main attributes shape cognitive, affective, behavioural, and performance-related learning outcomes in higher education. To this end, a systematic literature review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A comprehensive search of the Scopus database was undertaken to identify experimental and quasi-experimental studies published between 2023 and 2026. The results of this study show a significant growth in experimental work within this field, identifying 13 rigorous studies primarily across STEM and language education. The analysis maps seven categories of learning outcomes and identifies key attributes of AI-supported environments, such as conversational and generative tools, adaptive personalisation, and metacognitive support. What stands out from the results is that learning outcomes are more consistently positive when AI functionality is explicitly linked to cognitive theories and embedded in a coherent pedagogical design. Specifically, the data indicate that interventions combining adaptive AI agents with cognitive load or constructivist theories concurrently improve both academic performance and student motivation. Furthermore, immersive and generative AI tools were found to significantly enhance higher-order skills. Taken together, these results highlight the critical importance of aligning AI integration with established cognitive mechanisms rather than treating it as a mere technical novelty. This review makes a major contribution to the field by connecting AI-supported interventions with cognitive perspectives in higher education. The findings provide a foundational roadmap to guide future empirical work and pedagogical design globally, including emerging studies in Indonesia. © 2026, Malque Publishing. All rights reserved.
Doctoral Program in Economic Education, Department of Development Economics, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Negeri Malang, Malang, Indonesia; Business Education, Department of Management, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Negeri Malang, Malang, Indonesia
