ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Artif. Intell.
Sec. AI for Human Learning and Behavior Change
Volume 8 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/frai.2025.1614993
AI ADOPTION IN EDUCATION: EXTENDING UTAUT2 FOR ADOLESCENTS 1 Adolescent AI Adoption in Education: Extending UTAUT2 with Psychological and Contextual Insights
Provisionally accepted
- 1University of Valencia, Valencia, Valencian Community, Spain
- 2University of Turin, Turin, Italy
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
This correlational study investigates the psychological and contextual factors associated with the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies among Italian high school students. Building on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2), the study extends the model by incorporating Problematic Internet Use (PIU) and Attitudes Toward AI (ATAI) to better account for habitual AI use and Behavioural intentions. A sample of 933 students (Mage = 16.20, SDage = 1.29, 54.98% female) completed a survey assessing key UTAUT2 dimensions, psychological traits, and usage patterns of AI tools in educational contexts. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the structural validity of the adapted UTAUT2 model. Multiple regression analyses revealed that Performance Expectancy, Social Influence, Hedonic Motivation, and Schoolwork-related AI use were significant predictors of both Habit and Behavioural Intention. PIU showed a robust association with habitual use, suggesting a spillover effect from compulsive Internet behavior to AI engagement. ATAI was associated only with Behavioural Intention, indicating its role in initial adoption rather than sustained use. Demographic and contextual factors (e.g., school type, citizenship) showed additional effects. These findings contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of adolescent AI engagement by highlighting the role of compulsive tendencies and motivational beliefs. The study underscores the importance of designing inclusive, age-appropriate interventions to promote balanced and informed AI use in educational settings.
Keywords: Artificial intelligence in education, UTAUT2 Framework, Adolescent technology use, problematic internet use, behavioural intention
Received: 20 Apr 2025; Accepted: 18 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Ballestra Caffaratti, Longobardi, Badenes-Ribera and Marengo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Claudio Longobardi, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.