What drives Generation Z pre-service teachers’ acceptance of ChatGPT-assisted teaching practicum? The roles of enjoyment and trust

Abstract

The growing presence of generative AI (GenAI) tools such as ChatGPT is reshaping teacher education, yet there is still limited empirical attention to the emotional and relational aspects that shape their willingness to adopt. This study extends the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by incorporating perceived enjoyment and trust to examine how Generation Z pre-service teachers (PSTs) in Indonesia accept and use ChatGPT-assisted teaching practicums. A survey involving 445 participants was analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4. The results reveal that perceived enjoyment significantly predicts both perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, while trust primarily affects perceived usefulness. Moreover, perceived enjoyment, trust, and perceived usefulness significantly shape Generation Z PSTs’ attitudes toward ChatGPT, which subsequently predict their intention to use it. Interestingly, trust does not significantly influence perceived ease of use, and perceived ease of use shows no direct effect on attitude. The extended model explains 60.2% of the variance in perceived usefulness, 46.0% in perceived ease of use, 49.0% in attitude, and 45.6% in intention to use, indicating moderate explanatory power. These results demonstrate that affective and relational dimensions significantly shape how pre-service teachers embrace ChatGPT, offering practical insights for the design of AI-supported practicum models that encourage ethical awareness, emotional engagement, and the long-term advancement of pedagogical innovation.