Understanding the impact of knowledge management factors on the sustainable use of AI-based chatbots for educational purposes using a hybrid SEM-ANN approach

ABSTRACT

Artificial intelligence (AI)-based chatbots have received considerable attention during the last few years. However, little is known concerning what affects their use for educational purposes. This research, therefore, develops a theoretical model based on extracting constructs from the expectation confirmation model (ECM) (expectation confirmation, perceived usefulness, and satisfaction), combined with the knowledge management (KM) factors (knowledge sharing, knowledge acquisition, and knowledge application) to understand the sustainable use of chatbots. The developed model was then tested based on data collected through an online survey from 448 university students who used chatbots for learning purposes. Contrary to the prior literature that mainly relied on structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques, the empirical data were analyzed using a hybrid SEM-artificial neural network (SEM-ANN) approach. The hypotheses testing results reinforced all the suggested hypotheses in the developed model. The sensitivity analysis results revealed that knowledge application has the most considerable effect on the sustainable use of chatbots with 96.9% normalized importance, followed by perceived usefulness (70.7%), knowledge acquisition (69.3%), satisfaction (61%), and knowledge sharing (19.6%). Deriving from these results, the study highlighted a number of practical implications that benefit developers, designers, service providers, and instructors.

KEYWORDS:

• Artificial intelligence
• chatbots
• conversational agents
• sustainability
• education
• artificial neural network

Acknowledgement

The principal author, Mohammed A. Al-Sharafi, is grateful for the continued support from the Research Management Centre (RMC) in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia in the form of the Post-Doctoral Fellowship Scheme under the “Professional Development Research University Grant, Vote Number: 05E50”.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mohammed A. Al-Sharafi

Mohammed A. Al-Sharafi is currently working at the Department of Information Systems, Azman Hashim International Business School, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in Information Systems from the Faculty of Computing, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Malaysia. He has MSc degree in Management Information System from Yarmouk University, Jordan. He has over 45 publications published in different journals, conferences, and book chapters. Most of his publications were indexed under the ISI Web of Science and Scopus. Dr. Al-Sharafi received the first-class “excellent publication award” in February 2020, in recognition of the outstanding number of publications from the Faculty of Computing, Universiti Malaysia Pahang. He has also received the best paper award from several national and international conferences. His research activities currently encompass the impact of emerging technologies in individuals, organizations, and society (e.g. AI, Chatbot, cloud computing, Blockchain, OSNs, Big data, and IoT), and Quantitative Methods in Information Systems research.

Mostafa Al-Emran

Mostafa Al-Emran is currently working in the Faculty of Engineering & IT at The British University in Dubai, UAE. He received his Ph.D. degree in Computer Science from Universiti Malaysia Pahang, the MSc degree in Informatics from The British University in Dubai (with distinction), and the BSc degree in Computer Science from Al Buraimi University College (with honors). He is among the top 2% scientists in the world, according to the reports published by Stanford University in October 2020 and October 2021. He has published over 100 research articles, and his main contributions have appeared in highly reputed journals, such as International Journal of Information Management, Computers & Education, Computers in Human Behavior, Telematics and Informatics, Technology in Society, Journal of Enterprise Information Management, Interactive Learning Environments, International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, Multimedia Tools and Applications, and Journal of Educational Computing Research, among many others. Most of his publications were indexed under the ISI Web of Science and Scopus. He has edited a number of books published by Springer. He is also a certified recognized reviewer by several leading journals in Elsevier. His current research interests include Human–Computer Interaction, Knowledge Management, Educational Technology, and Artificial Intelligence.

Mohammad Iranmanesh

Mohammad Iranmanesh is a senior lecturer affiliated with the School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University. His research interests are interface of Information Systems (IS) and Sustainability, focusing on impacts of digital transformation on sustainability and determinants of digitalization. He has published more than 100 articles in a range of leading academic journals.

Noor Al-Qaysi

Noor Al-Qaysi received the BA degree with honors in translation from Al Buraimi University College and the Master’s degree in education (Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages) from The British University in Dubai. She is currently pursuing the PhD degree in information technology education at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris. Her main research interests include educational technology, social media, and technology acceptance.

Noorminshah A. Iahad

Noorminshah A. Iahad graduated from the University of Manchester for her PhD in Informatics in 2008. She graduated from the University of Manchester Institute of Science & Technology (UMIST) in 2002 following her BSc Information Technology graduation from Universiti Malaya. She has supervised Masters and PhD students in the areas such as Health Informatics, Gamification, E-learning, Mobile learning, and Computer Supported Project Based Learning. Nine PhD students and 4 Masters students have graduated under her supervision. Three of her PhD students have been awarded Best Postgraduate Student Award. She has led various research projects and won 1 silver medal awards at UTM level, 1 gold award at the National level, and 1 Silver Medal Ward at the International level. She is currently the IT Manager at the Department of Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research & Innovation). She was the Secretary of Malaysia Association for Information Systems from 2017 to 2018 and is also currently a member of IEEE.

Ibrahim Arpaci

Ibrahim Arpaci is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Software Engineering at Bandirma Onyedi Eylul University. He holds a BSc in Computer Education and Instructional Technology (2005) from Anadolu University, a MSc in Information Systems (2009) and a PhD in Information Systems (2013) both from Middle East Technical University. He was a visiting scholar at Ryerson University, Ted Rogers School of Information Technology Management, Toronto, ON, Canada (2012–2013). His academic works focus on how computational technology interacts with psychological, educational, and cultural dynamics. His research interests are in Information Systems, Educational Technology, and Cyberpsychology. His publications have appeared in leading academic journals including British Journal of Educational Technology, Telematics & Informatics, Computers in Human Behavior, Medical Internet Research, Personality and Individual Differences, Internet Research, and Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. He received the Best Paper Award in the European and Mediterranean Conference on Information Systems (EMCIS, 2009). He received the Distinguished Researcher Award from London Journals Press (UK, 2019). He was recognized as one of the World’s Top 2% Scientists by Stanford University in 2020, listed among the most influential scientists in the world, published in Public Library of Science Biology (PLOS Biology).