ABSTRACT This study investigates the factors influencing primary school teachers' intention to use AI teaching tools in Southwest China. Although AI tools are increasingly used for lesson preparation, instructional material generation, assessment design, classroom activity planning, and feedback support, their availability does not necessarily lead to meaningful pedagogical adoption. Drawing on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and the Intelligent Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (I-TPACK) framework, this study examines the effects of performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, and I-TPACK competence on teachers' intention to use AI teaching tools. A quantitative survey was conducted among 502 full-time primary school teachers from Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Chongqing. Structural equation modeling was performed using SPSS and AMOS. The results indicate that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating conditions, and I-TPACK competence significantly and positively influenced teachers' intention, whereas social influence had no significant direct effect. I-TPACK competence was the strongest predictor. The findings suggest that AI adoption among primary school teachers is driven more by professional competence, perceived instructional value, usability, and concrete support conditions than by external normative pressure. This study extends UTAUT by adding a teacher-specific AI pedagogical competence factor and provides implications for teacher training, school support, and AI teaching-tool design. Keywords: AI teaching tools; primary school teachers; UTAUT; I-TPACK competence; behavioral intention; Southwest China
Pu et al. (Tue,) studied this question.