A two-step structural equation modeling and explainable machine learning framework for understanding university students’ adoption of generative AI: balancing intrinsic motivations and perceived risks

Abstract

The adoption of generative AI tools by university students has surged, embodying a mix of promising benefits and serious concerns. Understanding the factors that drive or hinder students' adoption of GenAI is essential for responsible integration of AI technologies in higher education. This study introduces a novel two step SEM-XML framework that couples structural equation modeling (SEM) with an explainable machine learning (XML) component, overcoming limitations of traditional SEM and enabling both hypothesis-driven path analysis and data-driven factor identification. Grounded in an integrated benefit-risk perspective, this framework blends constructs from the Technology Acceptance Model, Theory of Planned Behavior, Perceived Risk, and Knowledge Attitude Practice models, emphasizing students' intrinsic motivations. The study is designed as a cross-sectional survey, with an effective sample size of 880 respondents from southwestern China, including undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students. The average age of participants is 20.8 years, with a gender distribution of 48.52% male and a diverse academic background, encompassing fields such as Engineering, Economics, Science, and Management. We test this framework using a survey of university students' GenAI usage. Results show that positive perceptions such as perceived usefulness and personal interest strongly encourage GenAI use. In contrast, perceived risks related to ethics, accuracy, and academic integrity significantly inhibit it. This pattern is partially consistent with previous findings on ChatGPT adoption. These findings highlight how internal attitudes and external pressures interact to shape GenAI uptake. This study emphasizes the substantial impact of both internal and external factors on students' acceptance of GenAI tools, providing valuable insights for educational institutions, policymakers, and tool developers.

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