Generative AI Adoption in Classroom in Context of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT)

TL;DR

The paper investigates what factors influence educators' adoption of GenAI and LLMs in classrooms by applying the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT). It uses a survey of 116 educators at Utah State University to quantify Perceived Usefulness ($PU$), Perceived Ease of Use ($PEOU$), acceptance, and familiarity, and analyzes these through TAM and IDT lenses. The results show a strong positive link between PU and acceptance and a significant but smaller link for PEOU, with a combined $R^2$ of ${0.566}$, indicating that PU is the strongest predictor of acceptance. IDT adds diffusion-context by highlighting variability in familiarity and adopter-category dynamics across departments, suggesting tailored strategies from Innovators to Laggards and the need for policy guidance. Overall, the work offers practical implications for designing training and tool development to foster effective GenAI integration in education while noting limitations such as a single-institution snapshot and calls for longitudinal, multi-institutional studies and ethical considerations.

Abstract

The burgeoning development of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and the widespread adoption of large language models (LLMs) in educational settings have sparked considerable debate regarding their efficacy and acceptability.Despite the potential benefits, the assimilation of these cutting-edge technologies among educators exhibits a broad spectrum of attitudes, from enthusiastic advocacy to profound skepticism.This study aims to dissect the underlying factors influencing educators' perceptions and acceptance of GenAI and LLMs.We conducted a survey among educators and analyzed the data through the frameworks of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT). Our investigation reveals a strong positive correlation between the perceived usefulness of GenAI tools and their acceptance, underscoring the importance of demonstrating tangible benefits to educators. Additionally, the perceived ease of use emerged as a significant factor, though to a lesser extent, influencing acceptance. Our findings also show that the knowledge and acceptance of these tools is not uniform, suggesting that targeted strategies are required to address the specific needs and concerns of each adopter category to facilitate broader integration of AI tools.in education.

Figures (2)

• Figure 1: Raw answers to the TAM-related questions
• Figure 2: Violin Plot showing familiarity with LLM-based tools among educators in various colleges.