Psychological drivers and barriers affecting students' sustained usage intention of AIGC tools in educational settings: an integrated perspective of Uses and Gratifications Theory and Perceived Value Theory

Abstract

Introduction This study systematically examines the drivers and barriers influencing students' sustained usage intention toward artificial intelligence-generated content (AIGC) tools in educational settings. As AIGC tools are increasingly introduced into teaching and learning activities, understanding how students accept, evaluate, and continue to use these tools is essential for promoting sustainable digital learning in higher education. Grounded in the Uses and Gratifications Theory and the Perceived Value Theory, this study develops an integrated model to explain students' continuance intention toward AIGC tools from both motivational and inhibitory perspectives. Methods Questionnaire data were collected from 528 Chinese university students and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The study also examined the moderating role of perceived trust and conducted multi-group analysis to explore differences across student groups. Results Content gratification, utilitarian gratification, and social gratification were significantly positively associated with continued usage intention. Among these factors, learning needs and perceived usefulness showed the strongest positive associations, whereas enjoyment within hedonic gratification showed no significant association. Perceived risk and perceived cost were significantly negatively associated with continued usage intention. Perceived trust significantly moderated the relationships between key gratifications, perceived sacrifices, and sustained usage intention. Multi-group analysis further revealed that postgraduates placed greater emphasis on information retrieval, undergraduates relied more on trust to reduce uncertainty, and infrequent users were more strongly associated with novelty. Discussion These findings contribute to understanding the psychological mechanisms underlying students' sustained use of AIGC tools and provide practical implications for their responsible integration into higher education. Universities and educators should enhance the functional and learning-support value of AIGC tools while establishing clear usage guidelines, strengthening privacy protection, reducing cost barriers, and providing differentiated instructional support.