Exploratory survey on factors influencing the adoption of AI by university students

This study explores the use and acceptance levels of Generative Artificial Intelligence in two groups of Bachelor degree students enrolled at the University of Salerno in General Education Sciences and Motor, Sports and Psychomotor Education Sciences. Through an extension of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model, the investigation examines the influence of a series of constructs that include, among others, Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Social Influence and Facilitating Conditions on Behavioral Intentions, and the tendency to use AI systems when studying. As highlighted in the report published by Save the Children, a growing percentage of adolescents use AI not only for informational purposes but also for emotional and decision-making support, signaling an increasingly integrated relationship between young people and algorithmic agents. This data and literature reporting concerns regarding the use of AI and inclusion calls for a broader pedagogical debate to rethink learning beyond an isolationist view of the mind and a reflection on how to educate students in the conscious and critical use of AI systems. In this perspective, this study utilizes an extended UTAUT model that is not limited to measuring the acceptance of technology but may contribute to outlining useful guidelines for the construction of a “radically extended” pedagogy, capable of critically and consciously integrating generative AI into contemporary educational practices