Investigating the Drivers of Artificial Intelligence Acceptance among Oman University Students

الملخص

This study investigates the key factors influencing the acceptance of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies among university students in Oman. Despite global advancements in AI integration within education, limited research has explored how students in the Middle East, particularly in Oman, perceive and adopt AI applications in higher education. Grounded in the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the study examines the effects of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived trust, perceived attitude, and perceived social influence on actual AI usage.

A quantitative research design was employed, utilising a structured questionnaire distributed to 310 students from Sohar University, from which 200 valid responses were collected. Data were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The results demonstrate that the model explains 81% of the variance in actual AI use (R² = 0.810), confirming the strong predictive power of the TAM constructs. Perceived trust emerged as the most significant predictor, positively influencing both perceived usefulness (β = 0.450) and perceived ease of use (β = 0.613). Perceived ease of use also positively impacted usefulness (β = 0.343) and showed a medium effect size (f² = 0.293).

The findings underscore the importance of fostering trust, designing intuitive AI tools, and leveraging peer influence to support AI adoption in Omani universities. The study offers practical implications for educators, developers, and policymakers and contributes to the growing body of literature on AI acceptance in non-Western educational contexts.