Main factors driving the use of ChatGPT by undergraduate students: An exploratory and preliminary study in Peru

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted various sectors due to its aggressive emergence. The university sector of Peruvian education was undoubtedly affected significantly. Mainly, the lack of good capacity for technological adaptability increased the problem at a time when adaptability capacity in Peruvian education was not very good. This situation threatened the quality of education, as it jeopardizes the quality of the Peruvian future professionals. In this context, digital tools are becoming more significant and bringing more opportunities for students to enhance their learning process. Remarkably, ChatGPT is quickly increasing its presence in the academic ecosystem. Therefore, it is critical to understand the main factors that lead students to continue using this digital tool. This study assesses the impact of the primary adoption factors of ChatGPT by undergraduate Peruvian students. This research used the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) framework to analyze these findings with a total of 108 observations, which were collected online, and structural equation modeling was used as the analysis technique. The results demonstrated that five factors can explain users' intention to use ChatGPT: writing capacity, variety of information, perceived usefulness, and perceived ethical issues. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed.