The Moderating Effects of Gender and Study Discipline in the Relationship between University Students’ Acceptance and Use of ChatGPT

Abstract

The intensive adoption of ChatGPT by university students for learning has encouraged many scholars to test the variables that impact on their use of such AI in their learning. This study adds to the growing body of studies, especially in relation to the moderating role of students' gender and their study discipline in their acceptance and usage of ChatGPT in their learning process. This study expanded the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) by integrating gender as well as study disciplines as moderators. The study collected responses from students in Saudi universities with different study disciplines and of different genders. The results of a structural model using Smart PLS showed a significant moderating effect of gender on the relationship between performance expectancy and ChatGPT usage. The results confirmed that the impact of performance expectancy in fostering ChatGPT usage was stronger in male than in female students. Moreover, social influence was shown to significantly affect males more than females in relation to ChatGPT usage. In addition, the findings showed that study discipline significantly moderates the link between social influence and ChatGPT usage. In the same vein, social influence significantly influences ChatGPT use in social sciences more than in applied sciences. Hence, the various implications of the study were discussed.