Mindful use of generative AI for sustainable learning and student well-being through an extension of the technology acceptance model

The growing adoption of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in higher education has transformed digital learning, creating new opportunities while raising important questions about technology acceptance and student well-being. Extending the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), this study incorporates mindfulness as a psychological antecedent and student well-being as an outcome to explain students’ acceptance and use of GenAI for sustainable learning. Data were collected from 370 undergraduate and postgraduate university students and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS. The findings supported the proposed relationships, indicating that mindfulness was positively associated with the TAM constructs and student well-being. The analysis further revealed significant indirect effects, highlighting the mediating role of TAM constructs in explaining the relationships between mindfulness and student well-being. The study advances the TAM framework by offering a more comprehensive perspective on GenAI acceptance in higher education and provides theoretical and practical implications for developing ethical, human-centred, and sustainable learning environments.