Determinants of GenAI-Supported Experiential Learning Behavior in Undergraduate Nursing Education

Abstract

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is increasingly explored as a cognitive tool with the potential to reshape learning practices in higher education. In professional disciplines such as nursing education, where experiential learning is essential, GenAI has the potential to enhance knowledge creation, interaction, reflection, and active engagement. Guided by Kolb’s experiential learning theory and organized by the Triple I Framework, we conceptualize individual factors with the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Bandura’s self-efficacy theory, interpersonal factors with social support theory and Vygotsky’s social constructivism, and institutional factors with Rogers’ diffusion of innovations. While adopting a digital communication lens that treats GenAI as a communicative medium, this study examined multi-level factors influencing GenAI-supported experiential learning behavior. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 300 undergraduate nursing students using the developed questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlations, and multiple regression analysis. Results indicated that perceived usefulness, AI usage confidence, peer support, and institutional readiness significantly predicted this learning behavior, which together explained 67.1% of the variance. In contrast, perceived ease of use, family support, instructor support, and curriculum integration were not significant predictors. Theoretically, this study extends Kolb’s experiential learning theory by positioning GenAI technologies as cognitive tools in the experiential learning cycle. Practically, the findings highlight the importance of building AI confidence, fostering peer collaboration, and strengthening institutional readiness for the effective integration of GenAI into nursing education. Together, these insights advance educational communication scholarship by illustrating how emerging AI technologies are reshaping the communicative ecology of experiential learning.