How to prompt ethical use? Investigating students’ intention to use ChatGPT for graded assignments

This study investigates the factors influencing university students’ intention to use ChatGPT for schoolwork, as well as how they determine when such use is acceptable. Focusing on university students in Singapore, we employed a mixed-methods design comprising two phases. Study 1 involved an online survey (n = 540) guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior, which found that injunctive norms, perceived behavioral control, and outcome expectancy significantly predicted students’ intention to use ChatGPT for graded writing assignments. Study 2 consisted of in-depth online interviews (n = 20), which provided insight into how students define acceptable versus unacceptable use of ChatGPT. The interviews found that students’ ethical boundaries are shaped by both pragmatic and normative considerations, with grade weightage and perceived impact on learning serving as key reference points in determining ethicality.