Investigating the Association of Artificial Intelligence Tools Acceptance and Digital Self- Efficacy with Academic Anxiety among Medical Students
This cross-sectional study of medical students at Gonabad University of Medical Sciences reveals that while higher digital literacy predicts greater AI tool acceptance, the relationship between digital self-efficacy and academic anxiety varies significantly by gender, showing a protective effect for males but a potential risk trend for females.
Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This is an AI-generated explanation of the paper below. It is not written or endorsed by the authors. For technical accuracy, refer to the original paper. Read full disclaimer
In the modern classroom, the tools of learning are changing faster than ever before. Artificial intelligence, a field of computer science where machines learn to perform tasks that usually require human thinking, is now woven into the daily lives of students. Alongside this technological shift, educators and psychologists are paying close attention to a specific feeling: the worry students feel when facing academic demands. This is known as academic anxiety. It is not just about being nervous before a test; it is a mix of thoughts, emotions, and physical reactions that can make learning feel overwhelming. Another key piece of the puzzle is digital self-efficacy. This is simply a person's confidence in their own ability to use technology effectively. When students feel capable of navigating digital tools, they often feel more in control of their learning. Understanding how these three elements—new technology, confidence in using it, and the stress of school—interact is crucial. If schools do not understand these connections, they risk introducing powerful tools that might accidentally increase stress rather than reduce it, especially for students training for high-pressure careers like medicine.
Researchers at Gonabad University of Medical Sciences in Iran decided to investigate these connections directly among their student body. They wanted to see if accepting and using artificial intelligence tools was linked to how much anxiety students felt about their studies, and whether their confidence in using digital tools played a role. To do this, they gathered a group of 237 students from various medical fields, including medicine, nursing, and public health. They asked these students to fill out detailed surveys. One survey measured how much the students accepted and intended to use AI tools, based on a standard model used to understand technology adoption. Another measured their confidence in handling digital tasks, and a third assessed their levels of academic anxiety. The researchers also asked about basic details like age, gender, how much time the students spent using AI each day, and their overall grades.
The picture that emerged from the data was clear and specific. Most of the students surveyed had a moderate level of digital literacy, meaning they were neither experts nor complete beginners. They also tended to use AI tools for less than one hour every day. When the researchers looked at the numbers, they found that students with lower digital skills reported feeling less confident in their ability to use technology and were less likely to accept AI tools into their learning routine. However, the story changed when they looked at anxiety. The level of digital skill or the acceptance of AI did not directly predict whether a student felt more or less anxious about their schoolwork. Instead, a different factor stood out: gender. Female students reported significantly higher levels of academic anxiety compared to their male classmates.
The most surprising discovery came when the researchers examined how confidence in technology related to anxiety, but only after separating the students by gender. For male students, the relationship was straightforward: those who felt more confident in their digital abilities reported lower levels of academic anxiety. It seemed that for them, feeling capable with technology helped calm their worries about school. For female students, however, the pattern was different. The data showed a trend where higher digital confidence was actually associated with slightly higher levels of anxiety, though this link was not as strong as the one seen in men. This suggests that for women in this group, feeling digitally capable did not necessarily translate to feeling less stressed about their studies; in fact, it might have been tied to other pressures. The strongest connection the researchers found was simply between digital confidence and the willingness to use AI tools; students who felt good about their digital skills were much more likely to embrace AI.
These findings suggest that the impact of technology on student well-being is not a simple, one-size-fits-all story. While improving digital skills helps students feel more comfortable with new tools, it does not automatically lower their academic stress. The researchers noted that their study was a snapshot in time, so they could not prove that one thing caused the other, but the patterns were distinct. They concluded that educational programs need to be careful. Simply teaching students how to use AI might not be enough to reduce anxiety, and the approach might need to differ for men and women. For female students, who reported higher anxiety levels, schools may need to look beyond just technical training and consider the broader emotional and psychological support they need to handle the demands of medical education in a digital age. The study highlights that as schools integrate artificial intelligence, they must pay close attention to the human element, recognizing that confidence in technology and the stress of learning are complex, and they play out differently for different people.
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