Factors associated with using Automated Content-Generating Tools by Academics in a State University in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Adopting Automated Content-Generating Tools (ACGTs) among academic staff in selected Sri Lankan universities is a pivotal study area. These tools, which harness Artificial Intelligence (AI), have the substantial potential to transform research and teaching practices. They offer a range of capabilities, from text generation and content summarization to enhanced writing productivity and correcting language. Despite their transformative potential to revolutionize teaching methods, curriculum design, and student engagement, their integration into educational settings in Sri Lanka encounters significant challenges due to a considerable gap in local research. This study aims to bridge this gap by identifying the factors associated with using ACGTs among academic staff at a selected state university in Sri Lanka. The research examines seven independent variables: performance expectancy (PE), effort expectancy (EE), social influence (SI), facilitating conditions (FC), hedonic motivation (HM), habit (HB), and personal innovativeness (PI); one mediating variable: behavioural intention (BI); and one dependent variable: the actual use of ACGTs. Data were collected from 181 academics across six faculties using a stratified sampling technique, from questionnaires, and analysed using SPSS 21. The findings indicate that PE, EE, HM, HB, and PI significantly enhance behavioural intention towards ACGTs (mean p-value < 0.01 in correlation analysis and significance values ...