Chatbot Adoption Intentions in Higher Education: Extending Uses and Gratifications Theory with Perceived Risk and Personal Innovativeness

Abstract

Chatbots are increasingly being adopted in higher education to support learning and academic activities. However, students' adoption intentions are shaped not only by the benefits these technologies offer but also by concerns related to privacy, ethics, and perceived risk. Guided by the Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT), this study examines how gratification, individual, and societal factors influence chatbot adoption intention among Indian college students, with Perceived Risk serving as a cognitive evaluation mechanism. Data were collected from 287 students across universities in North and West India using a structured questionnaire and analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings show that gratification-related factors and Personal Innovativeness positively influence chatbot adoption intention, whereas Perceived Risk negatively influences intention. Privacy Concerns and Ethical Concerns were not directly associated with adoption intention but showed significant indirect relationships through Perceived Risk. The study extends UGT by demonstrating that chatbot adoption intention is shaped by both gratification-driven motivations and cognitive risk evaluation, while offering practical insights for the responsible implementation of educational chatbots in higher education.