Scaffolding or Substitution? A Dual-Path Mechanism of Generative AI Use, Creativity Development, and Pedagogical Mitigation in Film and Television Directing Education

Abstract

As generative AI rapidly enters creative education in higher education, its influence on students’ creativity development has become distinctly dual in nature. On the one hand, it can help students expand their ideas and improve the efficiency of expression; on the other hand, it may also replace the processes of ideation, judgment, and revision that students should have undertaken themselves, thereby weakening their originality. Based on a review of research on AI applications in education, cognitive load theory, creative self- efficacy, cognitive offloading, and human-AI collaborative creativity, this paper retains and reconstructs the dual-path perspective of “creative scaffolding–cognitive substitution.” The study argues that whether generative AI can promote creativity development depends not on the mere use of technology, but on whether students’ agency, thinking processes, and responsibility for judgment are preserved. The paper further analyzes the potential pedagogical risks of hollowing out the creative process, homogenizing works, weakening judgment, distorting assessment, and generating ethical concerns. It then proposes mitigation strategies, including defining clear boundaries for AI use, strengthening process-oriented assessment, developing AI literacy training, reconstructing creative training procedures, and improving teachers’ capacity for guidance.