Investigating the Influencing Factors of University Teachers’ Behavioral Intentions Toward AI-based teaching: A Cognitive-Affective-Conative Perspective

With the rapid advancement of AI technologies in higher education, notable disparities have emerged among university teachers regarding the adoption and promotion of AI-based teaching tools. These variations reflect complex mechanisms involving cognition, affect, and behavioral intention, which necessitate systematic and in-depth investigation. Adopting a Cognitive–Affective–Conative Perspective, this study integrates the TPACK framework with the TPB to construct a comprehensive model for examining the factors influencing university teachers’ behavioral intentions to incorporate AI into teaching. Drawing on data from a survey of 602 university teachers, structural equation modeling (SEM) is employed to test the proposed hypotheses. The results indicate that the TPACK knowledge system constitutes the core cognitive foundation of teachers’ intention to adopt AI, exerting significant positive effects on both usage intention and promotion intention. Furthermore, TPACK has a positive influence on behavioral attitude and perceived behavioral control, while negatively impacting technology anxiety. Within the affective dimension, both behavioral attitude and perceived behavioral control significantly enhance AI teaching intention, whereas the effect of technology anxiety is not statistically significant. Mediation analysis further reveals that behavioral attitude and perceived behavioral control partially mediate the relationship between TPACK and AI teaching intention, while the mediating role of technology anxiety is not statistically significant. These findings underscore the pivotal role of TPACK in AI-based teaching and emphasize the bridging function of affective factors. The study offers both theoretical insights and practical implications for promoting AI adoption in higher education and supporting teachers in adapting to and leading educational transformation in the era of AI.