Acceptance and use of ChatGPT among German-speaking students and teachers

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) has received widespread interest in recent years, particularly following the launch of the chatbot ChatGPT. This study aimed to explore which factors influence the adoption of ChatGPT in students and teachers. A second objective was to compare ChatGPT usage between these two groups. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 was applied as the theoretical framework. Three additional exogenous variables were added as potential impactors of the intention to use ChatGPT. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was utilised to test the model. The final sample consisted of 188 participants from Germany and Austria, including 132 students and 56 teachers. The results indicate that students and teachers do not differ in how often they use ChatGPT. For students, Habit, Performance Expectancy, Attitude towards AI, and Ethical Perception of AI impacted Behavioural Intention. The relationship between Habit and Behavioural Intention was moderated by experience. Only Habit had a significant impact on Use Behaviour in the student sample. In the teacher sample, only Ethical Perception of AI had a significant impact on Behavioural Intention. Habit and Behavioural Intention impacted Use Behaviour among teachers. Most previous research has concentrated on ChatGPT adoption among students. The finding that students’ and teachers’ Behavioural Intention and Use Behaviour was impacted by different factors, emphasizes the need for more diverse samples in research. Ethical Perception of AI emerged as a significant impactor in both samples and could be an interesting addition to future studies.