Exploring Factors Influencing Pre-Service Teachers’ Intention to Use GenAI for Instructional Design: A Grounded Theory Study

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is advancing rapidly and is increasingly integrated into educational settings. How to effectively leverage GenAI to support instructional design has thus become a critical issue in teacher education. While existing studies have validated the technical potential and functional value of GenAI in instructional design, there remains a notable gap in qualitative investigations into pre-service teachers’ subjective willingness to adopt GenAI and its underlying influencing factors. To address this gap, this present study employed grounded theory to explore the factors that shape pre-service teachers’ intention to use GenAI for instructional design. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 pre-service teachers from Shaanxi Normal University, and the data were analyzed through open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. A theoretical model comprising four major dimensions was developed as follows: (1) technical factors (relative advantage and ease of use), (2) environmental factors (social impact, opinion leader, and facilitating conditions), (3) usage characteristics (purpose of use and method of use), and (4) psychological factors (trust, perceived risk, and a professional self-concept). The findings reveal that pre-service teachers’ intention to use GenAI is not shaped by a single factor but is instead the result of dynamic and interrelated interactions among the four dimensions. This study extends current technology acceptance theories and offers practical insights for the effective integration and promotion of GenAI in instructional design.