University Faculty AI Well-Being: Social Support, AI Literacy, Tech Self-Efficacy

• In Event: Advancing Faculty Competence and Well-Being in the Era of AI

Abstract

This study investigates faculty psychological adaptation to AI integration in higher education through a dual-path socio-cognitive and institutional support framework integrating social support theory and self-determination theory. Surveying 523 Chinese university faculty, structural equation modeling reveals that social and organizational support enhance AI-related well-being primarily through developing AI literacy (β = 0.713***) and technological self-efficacy. AI literacy emerged as the dominant mediator, outperforming self-efficacy by 3.1-fold in mediating social support effects (β_indirect=0.310 vs. 0.022). The findings establish cognitive mastery as more consequential than efficacy beliefs in translating institutional support into well-being. Demanding policy reforms, we propose tiered interventions: discipline-specific learning communities, scaffolded training, and task-based experiences to foster algorithmically just academic ecosystems.

Authors

• Jinyu Wang, National Academy of Education Administration

• Weitong Liu, Shandong University