Determinants of ChatGPT adoption among students in higher education: the moderating effect of trust
| Date | 14 October 2024 |
| Pages | 1-21 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/EL-12-2023-0293 |
| Published date | 14 October 2024 |
| Author | Behzad Foroughi,Mohammad Iranmanesh,Morteza Ghobakhloo,Madugoda Gunaratnege Senali,Nagaletchimee Annamalai,Bita Naghmeh-Abbaspour,Abderahman Rejeb |
DeterminantsofChatGPT adoption
among students in higher education:
the moderating effect of trust
Behzad Foroughi
Program in International Business Administration, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Mohammad Iranmanesh
La Trobe Business School, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia
Morteza Ghobakhloo
Division of Industrial Engineering and Management, Uppsala University,
Uppsala, Sweden and School of Economics and Business,
Kaunas University of Technology, Kaunas, Lithuania
Madugoda Gunaratnege Senali
School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University,Joondalup,Australia
Nagaletchimee Annamalai
School of Distance Education, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM),
George Town,Malaysia
Bita Naghmeh-Abbaspour
Program in International Business Administration, I-Shou University,
Kaohsiung, Taiwan and School of Distance Education,
Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), George Town, Malaysia, and
Abderahman Rejeb
University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy and
Faculty of Business and Economics, Széchenyi István University, Győr, Hungary
Abstract
Purpose –ChatGPT is a cutting-edge chatbot powered by artificial intelligence thatcould revolutionise and
advance the teaching and learning process. Drawing on the technology acceptance model (TAM) and
informationsystem (IS) success model, this study aims to investigatedeterminants of students’intentionto use
ChatGPT for educationpurposes.
Design/methodology/approach –The partial least squarestechnique was used to analyse 406 usable data
collectedfrom university students in Malaysia.
Findings –The results confirmedthe relationships between perceived usefulness (PU), perceivedease of use
(PEU), attitude and intention to use proposed by TAM. PU and PEU areinfluenced by system quality.
Surprisingly,trust in information moderatesnegatively the influences of PEU and PU on attitude.
Data availability: The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding
author upon reasonable request.
Declaration of competing interest: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial
interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
The Electronic
Library
1
Received7December 2 023
Revised 20 July 2024
16 September 2024
Accepted28September 2024
TheElectronic Library
Vol.43 No. 1, 2025
pp. 1-21
© Emerald Publishing Limited
0264-0473
DOI 10.1108/EL-12-2023-0293
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/0264-0473.htm
Practical implications –The findings provide insight for higher educationinstitutions, unit instructors and
ChatGPT developersonwhat may promote the useof ChatGPT in higher education.
Originality/value –The study contributes to the literature by exploring the determinants of ChatGPT
adoption, extendingthe TAM model by incorporating IS success factorsand assessing the moderating effect of
trust in information.
Keywords ChatGPT, Artificial intelligence, Chatbot, Textgeneration, Technology adoption,
Conversational agents, Natural language processing
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in education has surged in recent years. AI-
powered chatbots, such as ChatGPT, are increasingly used to enhance teaching and learning
(Chen et al., 2023). ChatGPT, an advanced AI-based chatbot, offers personalised learning
experiences by providing suggestions, answering questions and generating text in natural
language. It serves as a virtual tutor, assisting students with writing assignments, offering
feedback and helping overcome learning challenges (Foroughi et al., 2024d). Given its potential
benefits, it is crucial to investigate the factorsinfluencing ChatGPT’s adoption in education.
Research on technology adoption in education has used various models, including the
theory of planned behaviour (TPB) (Alshalawi,2022), technology acceptance model (TAM)
(Papakostas et al., 2023), informationsystem (IS) success model (Aldholay et al.,2020)and
unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) (Twum et al.,2022). This
study integrates the TAM andIS success model to explain ChatGPT adoption, focusing on
perceived usefulness(PU), perceived ease of use (PEU) and external factors like information
quality and system quality. Previous studies suggest that these external factors significantly
influence PU and PEU (Cheak et al.,2022;Rughoobur-Seetah and Hosanoo, 2021). Trustin
the information provided by chatbots is also critical in adoption decisions (Mostafa and
Kasamani, 2022). This study extends the TAM by incorporating trust as a moderator of the
effects of PU and PEU on attitude. It posits that if students do not trust ChatGPT’s
information, PU and PEUmay not drive its use. Therefore, this study aims to:
•Investigate the factors that motivate the students to use ChatGPT in their studies.
•Examine the extent to which information quality and system quality shape students’
PEU and PU.
•Assess the moderating effect of trust in information provided by ChatGPT on the
associations between PEU, PU and attitude towards using ChatGPT.
The importance of this research lies in its potential to significantly impact the field of
education. It aims toprovidevaluable insightsinto howChatGPT canbeeffectively
integrated into the learning environment. Understanding its applications and acceptance in
educational settings is crucial for optimising its benefits. This study explores the factors
influencing students’intention to use ChatGPT, thereby offering valuable information on
how to enhance its adoption in higher education. As technology continues to play an
increasingly important role in education, the findings of this research can contribute to the
development of more effective AI-based educational tools. Ultimately, this can lead to
improved learning experiencesand outcomes for students. By demonstrating the factors that
trigger students’intentionto use ChatGPT and expanding the explanatory power of the TAM
in the education context by incorporating trust and IS success factors, this study offers
insights into the factors that affect its usage in education. This, in turn, can lead to better
educational outcomesfor students.
EL
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