When Stress Meets Support: How AI Learning Support Shapes the Link Between Stress Mindset and School Burnout

Abstract

School burnout is an increasing concern in highly competitive educational contexts. As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes embedded in classrooms, it shapes both learning processes and students’ stress experiences. Grounded in Mindset Theory and Conservation of Resources framework, this longitudinal study examined whether AI learning support moderates the link between stress mindset and school burnout. A sample of 850 Chinese middle school students (Mage = 15.09, 41% boys) completed two waves of surveys one year apart. Regression results showed that viewing stress as enhancing predicted lower subsequent burnout after controlling for baseline burnout and demographics. Although AI learning support did not directly predict burnout, its interaction with stress mindset was significant: the negative association between a positive stress mindset and burnout was observed when AI learning support was high. These findings suggest that AI can function as an external resource that amplifies adaptive beliefs, offering new pathways for fostering resilience in digital learning environments.