Acceptance of ChatGPT in social work students

Bozana  Meinhardt-Injac; Julius  Späte; Lutz  Siemer; Stefanie  Witter

doi:10.59400/fes1812

Acceptance of ChatGPT in social work students

Bozana Meinhardt-Injac Catholic University of Applied Social Sciences, 10318 Berlin, Germany
Julius Späte University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, 14469 Potsdam, Germany
Lutz Siemer Saxion University of Applied Sciences, 7513AB Enschede, Netherlands
Stefanie Witter Faculty of Applied Social Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt, Technical University of Applied Sciences, 97070 Würzburg, Germany

Article ID: 1812

Keywords: ChatGPT; social work education; technology acceptance model; perceived usefulness; affinity for technological interaction

Abstract

Recent advancements in natural language processing (NLP) and large language models (LLM) such as ChatGPT, have generated high expectations and concerns regarding the future impact of AI on education and learning. In light of this, our goal was to investigate the usage of ChatGPT among social work students and to identify factors that predict its adoption according to the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). To achieve this, we conducted an online study with a large sample of social work students (N = 875). The results revealed that ChatGPT has been widely adopted, with 80% of social work students reporting its use for study-related tasks. However, the frequency of use was moderate. Thus, although students experiment with ChatGPT, they do not use it very frequently for their studies. Its primary applications include clarifying questions, explaining concepts, analysing, editing, and writing texts, as well as conducting literature reviews. The frequency of ChatGPT use was primarily predicted by its perceived usefulness, followed by perceived ease of use. Interestingly, affinity for technological interaction did not emerge as a significant predictor. This suggests that even students who are typically less interested in technology are utilizing ChatGPT for their studies due to its perceived usefulness. Overall, these findings highlight the widespread adoption of ChatGPT among social work students and emphasize the importance of perceived usefulness in driving its usage.

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Published

2025-03-17

How to Cite

Meinhardt-Injac, B., Späte, J., Siemer, L., & Witter, S. (2025). Acceptance of ChatGPT in social work students. Forum for Education Studies, 3(1), 1812. https://doi.org/10.59400/fes1812

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