ChatGPT’s effect on university students’ academic confidence : the moderating role of academic outcome valence, desirability of control, and protestant work ethics

Abstract

ChatGPT has gained significant popularity among students, teachers and researchers since its’ release in November 2022.Prior research has shed light on various aspects of ChatGPT use in academia; however, most of these studies have used descriptive analysis to summarize the benefits and downsides of ChatGPT. There is a lack of theoretical underpinning and empirical attempts to study the impact of ChatGPT in higher education, especially regarding how its use might influence university students’ academic confidence. In this research, we posit that there is a positive relationship between ChatGPT use and academic confidence. From a social psychology perspective, particularly based on the expectancy theory of motivation, we further propose that university students’ academic confidence after using ChatGPT for coursework will be influenced by three moderating factors: the valence of academic outcomes, students’ desirability of control, and their protestant work ethic. Five hundred students from the school of business are invited to participate in the study. Findings of this research will contribute to the teaching and learning literature in several ways. First, it contributes to the growing body of literature on the valence of academic outcomes, desire for control, and Protestant work ethic by revealing their relationships with students’ usage of generative AI in learning. Second, the current research will have strong implications for students and educators regarding the optimal method of ChatGPT use in teaching and learning.