THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AI COMPETENCY AND ACADEMIC MOTIVATION AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Abstract

The increasing integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in higher education has influenced students’ learning experiences and academic practices. The present study aimed to examine the relationship between AI competency and Academic Motivation among university students. It further investigated the association of AI competency with intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and explored whether AI competency predicts Academic Motivation. A quantitative descriptive research design was employed. Data were collected from 200 male and female university students enrolled in selected public and private universities in Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan, South Punjab, Pakistan. Standardized questionnaires were used to measure AI competency and Academic Motivation. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, and simple linear regression through SPSS. The findings revealed a significant positive relationship between AI competency and Academic Motivation. AI competency was also positively associated with both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, indicating that students with higher AI competency tend to demonstrate higher levels of Academic Motivation. Furthermore, regression analysis showed that AI competency significantly predicted Academic Motivation and explained a meaningful proportion of variance in students’ motivation levels.

The study concludes that AI competency is an important factor associated with students’ Academic Motivation. Developing AI-related skills among university students may support their engagement, confidence, and motivation in academic learning.

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence Competency, Academic Motivation, Intrinsic Motivation, Extrinsic Motivation, University Students, Higher Education.