Exploring The Role of Digital Literacy in University Students' Engagement with AI through the Technology Acceptance Model

Abstract

Through the last decades, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionized the field of education and transformed traditional teaching approaches. This study aimed to examine how university students adopt AI tools in their learning processes and the role of digital literacy (DL) in this process through the lens of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). In this context, this study measured the impact of DL on university students' acceptance of AI technologies and their intention to use such technologies in the future. The data was collected from university students (N = 154) at a university in Western Türkiye during the fall semester of 2023. Data collection was conducted using two separate online forms; the first form included items adapted from the Digital Literacy Scale developed by Bayrakçı and Narmanlıoğlu (2021) to measure digital literacy levels, while the second form included items adapted from the UTAUT study by Venkatesh et al. (2003). The hypothesis testing results showed that students with higher levels of DL perceived the usefulness and ease of use of AI tools more positively, which positively affected their intention to adopt AI-based tools. The study also found that perceived usefulness and ease of use were important in shaping students' attitudes and behavioural intentions towards AI. When students perceive AI as a valuable tool for learning and find it easy to interact with, they are more willing to use it. This study suggests that DL plays a significant role in the acceptance of AI-based tools among university students, and accordingly, the TAM is a practical and accurate model to explore students’ potential engagement with AI in the learning process.