Information-Seeking in the Age of Generative AI: Factors that Influence the Behavioural Intention of Media Students to Use ChatGPT.

Information-Seeking in the Age of Generative AI: Factors that Influence the Behavioural Intention of Media Students to Use ChatGPT. | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Information-Seeking in the Age of Generative AI: Factors that Influence the Behavioural Intention of Media Students to Use ChatGPT. Mohammad Mafizul Islam This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7302449/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study investigates the factors that influence media students’ behavioural intention to adopt ChatGPT as an information-seeking tool. A mixed-methods approach combines survey data from 103 students and semi-structured interviews with six students to examine constructs from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) alongside new variables, Perceived Humanness and Availability. Quantitative analysis shows Performance Expectancy and Perceived Humanness significantly predict intention, whereas Effort Expectancy, Hedonic Motivation and Trust do not. Qualitative insights reveal that students enjoy ChatGPT’s conversational interface but are wary of factual inaccuracies and place greater emphasis on trust in the accuracy of AI-generated content than on privacy. Availability emerges as a direct driver of adoption. These findings extend the UTAUT2 model for generative AI contexts and suggest that students’ adoption decisions are shaped by both instrumentality and social perceptions of AI, highlighting the need to improve AI reliability and media literacy. The research contributes to theory and practice by providing actionable insights for educators and AI developers. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Educational Philosophy and Theory UTAUT2 Generative AI ChatGPT Information-Seeking Behaviour Media Students Mixed-Methods Research Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics Statement: The study was conducted in accordance with the ethical guidelines of the Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences. Approval was granted by the university’s ethics committee prior to data collection. All participants provided informed consent before taking part in the study. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. 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