Artificial Intelligence-Supported Sustainable Education and Students’ Environmental Learning Engagement: The Moderating Role of Environmental Self-Efficacy

Abstract

This study examined the role of Artificial Intelligence-Supported Sustainable Education in promoting students’ Environmental Learning Engagement, with particular focus on the moderating role of Environmental Self-Efficacy. A quantitative cross-sectional research design was used, and data were collected from 389 university students in Pakistan through an adopted structured questionnaire administered online using Google Forms. The collected responses were organized in Microsoft Excel and subsequently analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics. Pearson Product-Moment Correlation, simple linear regression, and moderation analysis were used to examine the relationships among the study variables. The findings showed that Artificial Intelligence-Supported Sustainable Education was positively associated with Environmental Learning Engagement and significantly predicted students’ engagement in environmental learning. The findings further indicated that Environmental Self-Efficacy significantly strengthened the relationship between AI-supported sustainable education and environmental learning engagement. These findings suggest that AI-supported educational environments can provide students with accessible, interactive, and sustainability-focused learning opportunities that may encourage greater participation in environmental learning. The study further highlights that technological support may be more effective when students possess confidence in their ability to understand environmental issues and participate in environmentally relevant learning activities. The study contributes to the emerging literature by connecting AI-supported sustainable education with environmental learning engagement while incorporating Environmental Self-Efficacy as an important individual-level factor. The findings may assist educators, higher education institutions, and policymakers in developing technology-supported sustainable learning environments that encourage active participation, environmental understanding, and meaningful student engagement.