Exploring ChatGPT’s Potential to Enhance Learning Outcomes: A Study of University Students’ Beliefs and Practices

Technology integration enhances task performance in ways that would otherwise be challenging. However, the reception of certain technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), often comes with reservations and ethical concerns. This study, conducted in Tanzanian universities, surveyed student teachers’ beliefs about the usefulness of ChatGPT in academic settings, examining how its actual use influences study outcomes, satisfaction, attitudes, awareness of ethical issues, and perceived capabilities. Despite limitations in technological infrastructure in Tanzanian universities, ChatGPT is used by students to enhance their learning. Using a quantitative approach, 446 students completed a survey. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, t-test, Pearson correlation, one-way analysis of variance, and structural equation modelling. The findings provide insights into university students’ perspectives about ChatGPT. They highlight differences across demographic factors and explain how the usage, perception of capabilities, and concerns influence learning through a structural model. These results have important implications for integrating AI in education, particularly in contexts with technological limitations, and in addressing the diverse needs of university students.