ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Psychology in Education
This article is part of the Research TopicArtificial Intelligence in Educational Technology: Innovations, Impacts, and Future DirectionsView all 11 articles
From Usefulness to Motivation: A TAM–SDT Perspective on AI Adoption and Problematic Internet Use in Higher Education
Provisionally accepted
- 1Universiti Teknologi Brunei, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
- 2National Research and Innovation Agency, Bandung, Indonesia
- 3Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan
- 4Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
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This study investigates the adoption of ChatGPT, an AI-powered tool, in higher education by integrating the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Self-Determination Theory (SDT). Specifically, it examines how Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU) influence adoption, how PU enhances learning motivation, and how ChatGPT use and problematic internet use (PIU) relate to learning motivation. A quantitative survey of 104 higher education students in Brunei was analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results demonstrate that PU is the strongest predictor of ChatGPT adoption (β = 0.419, p < 0.001), while PEOU shows only a marginal effect (β = 0.220, p = 0.089). Consistent with SDT, ChatGPT significantly enhances learning motivation by fulfilling psychological needs for relatedness, competence, and autonomy (β = 0.438, p < 0.001). Contrary to expectations, PIU does not significantly influence learning motivation (β = 0.109, p = 0.290), and ChatGPT use does not contribute to problematic internet behaviors (β = 0.169, p = 0.235). The findings advance theoretical understanding by emphasizing the central role of PU over PEOU in technology adoption while demonstrating that academic AI tools can foster motivation without exacerbating PIU. Practically, the study underscores the importance of integrating AI in education ethically and effectively. Limitations such as geographic scope, limited demographic data, and low explanatory power for PIU (R² = 0.029) suggest avenues for future research. Overall, this study contributes to the growing discourse on the transformative potential of AI in higher education.
Keywords: Technology acceptance model (TAM), Self-determination theory (SDT), perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU), Learning motivation, Problematic internet use (PIU), AI-powered tools, Higher Education Students
Received: 05 Sep 2025; Accepted: 28 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Susanto, Qur’ainal Mutalif, Setiana and Besar. 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: Prof. Dr. Heru Susanto
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