Negotiating AI integration in higher education curricula: Coping behaviour or career opportunity?

Abstract

This study examines how higher education educators perceive artificial intelligence (AI) as both a coping resource and a catalyst for career development. Grounded in the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework and integrating Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) with Lazarus and Folkman's Stress Theory (L&FST), the study explores how psychological and motivational factors shape career adaptability. Data were collected from 155 educators using structured surveys. Reliability and validity were established, and relationships among variables were tested using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), a variance-based technique used to assess complex relationships between latent constructs. Results show that self-efficacy, resilience, and social support positively influence engagement with AI, while symptom distress shapes coping responses. The findings demonstrate that AI simultaneously enables professional growth and induces adjustment challenges. This study contributes an integrated framework explaining educators' career responses to technological change.