Technology Anxiety and Pre-service Teachers’ Intention to Use Generative Artificial Intelligence: An Integrated TAM–TPB Approach

Abstract

The rapid diffusion of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has raised important questions about how future educators perceive and adopt AI-based tools for learning and teaching. This study investigates Chinese pre-service teachers’ intention to use GenAI by integrating the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), with technology anxiety positioned as a focal affective antecedent. A quantitative survey was conducted among 489 pre-service teachers from five normal universities in Jilin Province, China, and the data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results show that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use positively influence attitudes toward AI, while attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control positively predict intention to use AI. Technology anxiety has significant negative effects on both attitude and intention, but its effects on perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control are not significant. The indirect effects of technology anxiety on intention through belief-based pathways are also unsupported. These findings suggest that anxiety primarily operates as a direct affective inhibitor rather than through cognitive belief erosion. The study highlights the need for anxiety-sensitive AI training, clear institutional guidance, and responsible-use support in teacher education programs.