Examining students’ intention to use ChatGPT: Does trust matter?

Abstract

Little knowledge is available on students’ attitudes and behavioural intentions towards using ChatGPT, a breakthrough innovation in recent times. This study bridges this gap by adding two relevant less-explored constructs (i.e., perceived enjoyment and perceived informativeness) to the technology acceptance model and illustrating the moderating effect of trust on the acceptance of ChatGPT. Data was collected from 344 private and public university students from Bangladesh, with the analysis done through structural equation modelling. The results highlight the significance of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and perceived informativeness in understanding students’ attitudes towards using ChatGPT for learning, which subsequently predicts their behavioural intention to use it. Interestingly, students’ level of enjoyment was triggered once the trust issue came into play, meaning perceived enjoyment had no substantial impact on attitude unless trust moderates the relationship between perceived enjoyment and attitude towards using ChatGPT. Implications for practice or policy Scholars can get first-hand insights into perceived enjoyment and perceived informativeness with perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use in the context of ChatGPT and education. Practitioners and educators can comprehensively understand the antecedents affecting students’ attitudes in line with their behavioural intention towards ChatGPT. Policymakers can design viable strategies to promote the ethical and sustainable usage of ChatGPT in education.