Factors Influencing ChatGPT Utilisation in Higher Education: A Proposed Empirical Study Based on the UTAUT Framework
To examine the effects of performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions on university students’ behavioural intention to use and actual use of ChatGPT in higher education, while assessing the moderating role of ethical awareness. Methods: The proposed study adopts a quantitative cross-sectional survey design. Data will be collected from university students and analysed using structural equation modelling. Guided by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, the model evaluates the technological, social, institutional, and ethical factors influencing students’ adoption and use of ChatGPT. Results: The proposed model suggests that students’ behavioural intention and actual use of ChatGPT are influenced by its perceived usefulness, ease of use, social influence, and the availability of institutional and technological support. Ethical awareness is expected to moderate these relationships because ChatGPT use may raise concerns related to academic integrity, plagiarism, overreliance, privacy, fairness, and reduced critical thinking. Conclusion: The study contributes to the literature by integrating technology acceptance with responsible AI use in higher education. It provides a framework for examining ChatGPT adoption patterns, students’ motivations for using the technology, and its implications for academic integrity, while offering practical guidance for universities, educators, and policymakers in developing AI literacy programmes and responsible-use policies.