Determinants of Intention to Use ChatGPT for Professional Development among Omani EFL Pre-service Teachers

Abstract

The integration of ChatGPT within the workplace holds the promise of enhancing professional communication, streamlining task automation, and expediting access to information and assistance. However, the ultimate success of this endeavour hinges on the proactive adoption and utilisation of ChatGPT by professionals. This study endeavours to illuminate the utilisation of ChatGPT for professional development by pre-service teachers specialising in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Oman. To this end, it employs an extended conceptual framework rooted in the technology accceptance model (TAM), incorporating critical exogenous factors such as instructor support, personal innovativeness, and perceived learning value. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was employed to assess the construct validity and reliability of the model's components. Utilising a cross-sectional research design, a structured questionnaire was administered to a sample comprising 280 EFL pre-service teachers in Oman. The structural model elucidated that external factors-namely, instructor support, personal innovativeness, and perceived learning value-exerted a statistically significant influence on the EFL pre-service teachers' perceptions of the utility and ease of use of ChatGPT. Moreover, it emerged that the perceived utility and ease of use of ChatGPT were instrumental in shaping the intention of Omani EFL pre-service teachers to embrace this AI-powered tool for their professional development endeavours. Collectively, the model effectively accounted for 63% of the variance in the intention of EFL pre-service teachers in Oman to adopt ChatGPT for their professional growth. These results have practical implications for educators and institutions seeking to enhance the integration of innovative technologies like ChatGPT in language education and professional development programs.