Understanding Sabah Educators’ Acceptance of ChatGPT: A Pilot Study Using TAM3

This pilot study investigates educators’ acceptance of ChatGPT in Sabah’s higher education institutions using the Technology Acceptance Model 3 (TAM3) framework. A cross-sectional survey of 27 educators assessed six constructs: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived credibility, social influence, privacy concerns, and behavioural intention. Results demonstrated excellent overall reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.891), with construct reliabilities ranging from 0.718 to 0.854. Educators showed positive attitudes towards ChatGPT’s usefulness (M = 3.68) and ease of use (M = 3.75), with moderate privacy concerns (M = 3.42). Strong correlations emerged between perceived credibility and behavioural intention (r = 0.72, p < 0.001), perceived usefulness and intention (r = 0.68, p < 0.001), and ease of use and intention (r = 0.61, p < 0.001). High variability in colleague encouragement (SD = 1.07) indicates inconsistent institutional support. This study validates the TAM3 instrument for ChatGPT research in Malaysian contexts and provides a foundation for larger mixed-methods investigations.