Integrating UTAUT-2 and protection motivation theory to explain pre-service teachers’ adoption of AI-supported game-based learning

Despite growing interest in artificial intelligence (AI)–supported game-based learning (GBL), adoption among pre-service teachers remains uneven. Drawing on survey data from 864 pre-service teachers enrolled in public universities in Turkey, this study integrates the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT-2) and Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) to examine motivational and psychological determinants of adoption intention. Structural equation modeling revealed that habit, he