The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Shaping Students' Sustainable Education and Career Development: An Extended Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) Perspective

Abstract

The central purpose of education is to ensure the holistic development of learners, and delivering quality teaching and effective learning practices enables Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) to attain long-term, meaningful learning outcomes; in today's academic context, both Artificial Intelligence (AI) and outcome-based education are receiving considerable scholarly attention, and this study examines how students perceive AI and the extent to which it influences sustainable learning and future career advancement. The research framework is grounded in the Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) model, extended to incorporate social, educational, and career-related dimensions relevant to student populations; data were collected from 239 higher education students across multiple academic programs using a structured questionnaire developed in consultation with specialists in AI and sustainable education, and the measurement and structural models were validated using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS, with descriptive analysis performed in IBM SPSS 23.0. The findings show that three core antecedents—social factors, technological factors, and organizational factors—significantly shape students' attitude toward AI, and attitude, in turn, positively influences students' perception of sustainable education and their career development, with all twelve hypothesized paths statistically supported (p < 0.05) and the model demonstrating acceptable reliability, validity, and predictive relevance (Q² > 0.35 across endogenous constructs). The study extends the classical TOE framework beyond its organizational-adoption origins into an individual-level, student-centred model of AI acceptance, linking technology adoption theory directly to sustainable-education and employability outcomes, and the findings offer empirically grounded guidance for HEIs seeking to integrate AI responsibly into curricula and student-support services.