Unraveling the factors shaping the intention of tourism and hospitality students to engage with ChatGPT: a decision-making exploration
Naveed Ahmad · Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism · 2025
Objective ChatGPT, an advanced AI-powered chatbot, can potentially transform and enhance the teaching and learning process. Grounded in Behavioral Reasoning Theory (BRT), this study explores the key reasons influencing tourism and hospitality higher education students’ attitudes toward intention to use ChatGPT for learning purposes.Methodology The study adopted a quantitative approach; data was collected from 309 T&H higher education students and analyzed through PLS-SEM.Result The study revealed that factors such as relative advantage, perceived usefulness, and personal benefits were identified as RF component, and image barrier and risk barrier were identified as RA component that significantly impact tourism and hospitality higher education student attitudes and intentions to use ChatGPT. Furthermore, the finding confirmed that values impact RF, RA and student attitudes and intention to use ChatGPT. Lastly, attitude significantly mediates the relationship between reasons and intention to use ChatGPT.Novelty This research takes an important step forward in investigating the tourism and hospitality higher education students’ attitudes and intentions to using ChatGPT for education learning purposes by integrating the BRT theory and the “reasons for” and “reasons against” adoption into a unified framework.