AI-related fear shows a differentiated pattern: positive direct association with AI use but negative association with pedagogical AI competence and negative indirect effect¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associational r? · q2
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Fear was positively associated with AI use directly (β = 0.15, p = .008) but negatively associated with pedagogical AI competence (β = -0.15, p = .025), yielding a negative indirect effect (β = -0.07, p = .044). → Feng 2026 q2 i? The competence-side fear path was negative, as printed in the parameter table. → Feng 2026 (2)

Evidence¶

Feng 2026¶

Feng, S., Koch, M. J., & Carolus, A. (2026). AI Mindset – An empirically tested theoretical framework on the psychological factors shaping AI competence and AI use. Computers in Human Behavior: Artificial Humans. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbah.2026.100402

q2 · i? · associational · r?

SEM direct-effect results for the teacher sample. The results sentence reports "AI-related fear (β = 0.15, p = .008)" as a significant positive direct association with AI use; the indirect effect (β = -0.07, p = .044) is reported in the same results section.

"In addition, significant direct associations with AI use were observed for technology-related appraisals and contextual and social factors: habit (β = 0.28, p = .005), hedonic motivation (β = 0.19, p = .029), and AI-related fear (β = 0.15, p = .008)."

Feng 2026 (2)¶

Feng, S., Koch, M. J., & Carolus, A. (2026). AI Mindset – An empirically tested theoretical framework on the psychological factors shaping AI competence and AI use. Computers in Human Behavior: Artificial Humans. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbah.2026.100402

q2 · i? · associational · r?

Parameter estimates table (Table 1) of the SEM. The row for fear to pedagogical AI competence prints a negative standardised coefficient (β = -0.15, 95% CI excluding zero, p = .025), supporting the negative competence association.

"Fear → AI competence ¡0.15 ¡0.28; ¡0.02 0.025*"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Openness and need for relatedness are associated with teachers' AI use indirectly through pedagogical AI competence, with relatedness negatively associated with competence — related
• Perceived risk of using ChatGPT is negatively associated with both use frequency and intention to use among undergraduates — related
• Effort expectancy is associated with AI use only indirectly through competence, whereas hedonic motivation shows a direct positive association — related
• Habit shows the strongest direct and competence-mediated associations with teachers' AI use — related
• Pedagogical AI competence is positively associated with teachers' AI use — related