AI-adoption attitudes in Southern Africa’s higher education sector: A pilot survey using the capability, opportunity, motivation and behaviour (COM-B) model
Artificial intelligence (AI) drives innovation but faces numerous potential challenges to adoption. This pilot survey applied the capability, opportunity, motivation and behaviour (COM-B) model to examine AI adoption attitudes in the Southern African higher education sector. The study sought to eva...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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LINK Centre, School of Literature Language and Media (SLLM)
2025-08-01
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| Series: | The African Journal of Information and Communication |
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| Online Access: | https://ajic.wits.ac.za/article/view/21607 |
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| author | Mark E. Patterson Johan Breytenbach Ian Coffman |
| author_facet | Mark E. Patterson Johan Breytenbach Ian Coffman |
| author_sort | Mark E. Patterson |
| collection | DOAJ |
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Artificial intelligence (AI) drives innovation but faces numerous potential challenges to adoption. This pilot survey applied the capability, opportunity, motivation and behaviour (COM-B) model to examine AI adoption attitudes in the Southern African higher education sector. The study sought to evaluate the extent to which the COM-B framework, rooted in behavioural science, can generate AI-adoption insights that would be complementary to insights generated by established information systems (IS) adoption models, such as the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). Potential facilitators and barriers with respect to adoption of AI tools adoption were mapped against COM-B domains to develop a 10-point Likert-type scale survey that was piloted with 33 individuals working in the Southern African higher education sector. The findings identified key facilitators of AI as adequate technological infrastructure, readiness to address clients’ ethical concerns, and beliefs that AI tools benefit clients. The dominant barrier identified was clients’ potential ethical concerns regarding AI use in decision-making.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2c5aaf56697f44efb7d857e44b5951cc |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2077-7205 2077-7213 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | LINK Centre, School of Literature Language and Media (SLLM) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The African Journal of Information and Communication |
| spelling | doaj-art-2c5aaf56697f44efb7d857e44b5951cc2025-08-20T03:59:26ZengLINK Centre, School of Literature Language and Media (SLLM)The African Journal of Information and Communication2077-72052077-72132025-08-013510.23962/ajic.i35.21607AI-adoption attitudes in Southern Africa’s higher education sector: A pilot survey using the capability, opportunity, motivation and behaviour (COM-B) modelMark E. Patterson0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2600-6887Johan Breytenbach1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7883-7140Ian Coffman2https://orcid.org/0009-0000-6581-9285School of Pharmacy, University of Missouri-Kansas CityDepartment of Information Systems, University of the Western Cape, Cape TownSchool of Pharmacy, University of Missouri-Kansas City Artificial intelligence (AI) drives innovation but faces numerous potential challenges to adoption. This pilot survey applied the capability, opportunity, motivation and behaviour (COM-B) model to examine AI adoption attitudes in the Southern African higher education sector. The study sought to evaluate the extent to which the COM-B framework, rooted in behavioural science, can generate AI-adoption insights that would be complementary to insights generated by established information systems (IS) adoption models, such as the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). Potential facilitators and barriers with respect to adoption of AI tools adoption were mapped against COM-B domains to develop a 10-point Likert-type scale survey that was piloted with 33 individuals working in the Southern African higher education sector. The findings identified key facilitators of AI as adequate technological infrastructure, readiness to address clients’ ethical concerns, and beliefs that AI tools benefit clients. The dominant barrier identified was clients’ potential ethical concerns regarding AI use in decision-making. https://ajic.wits.ac.za/article/view/21607artificial intelligence (AI), adoption; higher education sector, Southern Africa, capability, opportunity, motivation and behaviour (COM-B) model |
| spellingShingle | Mark E. Patterson Johan Breytenbach Ian Coffman AI-adoption attitudes in Southern Africa’s higher education sector: A pilot survey using the capability, opportunity, motivation and behaviour (COM-B) model The African Journal of Information and Communication artificial intelligence (AI), adoption; higher education sector, Southern Africa, capability, opportunity, motivation and behaviour (COM-B) model |
| title | AI-adoption attitudes in Southern Africa’s higher education sector: A pilot survey using the capability, opportunity, motivation and behaviour (COM-B) model |
| title_full | AI-adoption attitudes in Southern Africa’s higher education sector: A pilot survey using the capability, opportunity, motivation and behaviour (COM-B) model |
| title_fullStr | AI-adoption attitudes in Southern Africa’s higher education sector: A pilot survey using the capability, opportunity, motivation and behaviour (COM-B) model |
| title_full_unstemmed | AI-adoption attitudes in Southern Africa’s higher education sector: A pilot survey using the capability, opportunity, motivation and behaviour (COM-B) model |
| title_short | AI-adoption attitudes in Southern Africa’s higher education sector: A pilot survey using the capability, opportunity, motivation and behaviour (COM-B) model |
| title_sort | ai adoption attitudes in southern africa s higher education sector a pilot survey using the capability opportunity motivation and behaviour com b model |
| topic | artificial intelligence (AI), adoption; higher education sector, Southern Africa, capability, opportunity, motivation and behaviour (COM-B) model |
| url | https://ajic.wits.ac.za/article/view/21607 |
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