CAN GENAI BOOST STUDENT ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE: EXAMINING THE ROLE OF AI QUALITY

Generative Artificial Inteligence (GenAI) tools are becoming increasingly interesting and useful for the student population in higher education (HE). The rate of adoption of GenAI tools at the population level has surpassed all previous technologies in history. The use and adoption of GenAI tools in higher education represents a critical area of future research with profound scientific and practical implications. This new technology is characterized by significant impact on productivity so it becomes important to explore the way that it impacts student work habits and academic results. This paper contributes to the growing body of research on the application of GenAI tools in higher education. It builds on previous research focused on the application of new technologies. The starting point of the paper is the measurement scales necessary to assess the use of GenAI tools in the context of higher education. The primary goal of this paper is to investigate the role of GenAI quality in the dissemination process of GenAI tools primarily through measuring the adoption and use of GenAI. Additionally, the paper addresses the impact of adoption and use of GenAI on student academic performance. The research was conducted among students of a Croatian higher education institution during the winter semester of 2024, and approximately 340 responses were collected. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was used to test the proposed hypotheses. The results of the study confirm that GenAI quality has a significant and positive effect on GenAI use and GenAI adoption. Furthermore, both GenAI adoption and GenAI use have a significant and positive impact on students' academic performance in higher education. The results of the study highlight the importance of GenAI quality in shaping students' experiences with GenAI tools and their broader educational outcomes.