Generative AI literacy as a mediator between lifelong learning and AI competence in nursing students: A...

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming nursing education and requires students to develop AI literacy alongside lifelong learning skills. Understanding how lifelong learning tendencies relate to generative AI usage and competence, and the potential mediating role of AI literacy, is essential for preparing digitally competent future nurses.

To determine the lifelong learning tendency among nursing students, their levels of generative AI literacy, and their levels of generative AI usage and competence. Also, to examine the mediating role of generative AI literacy in the relationship between lifelong learning tendency and generative AI usage and competence.

An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted at two state universities in the Mediterranean Region.

The study was conducted with 533 nursing students between June and October 2025.

Data were collected using a Personal Information Form, the Lifelong Learning Tendency Scale, the Generative Artificial Intelligence Literacy Scale, and the Generative Artificial Intelligence Usage and Competence Scale.

Students demonstrated high levels of generative AI literacy (36.66 ± 7.30), lifelong learning tendency (120.61 ± 22.73), and AI usage and competence (68.43 ± 12.71). Lifelong learning tendency showed a moderate positive correlation with AI usage and competence (r = 0.300, p < 0.001) and a weak positive correlation with AI literacy (r = 0.118, p = 0.007). A strong positive correlation was found between AI literacy and AI usage and competence (r = 0.605, p < 0.001). The mediation analysis showed that generative AI literacy had a partial mediating effect on the relationship between lifelong learning tendency and generative AI usage and competence (indirect effect = 0.068; 95% CI: 0.045-0.092), based on bootstrapping with 20,000 samples.

The findings suggest that lifelong learning tendency is positively associated with AI literacy and AI usage and competence, and that AI literacy plays a partial mediating role in this relationship. These findings suggest that supporting lifelong learning and developing generative AI literacy may be important for enhancing AI usage and competence; however, causal interpretations should be made with caution due to the cross-sectional design. Furthermore, these implications are limited to the educational context and should not be directly generalized to clinical practice. Further longitudinal and experimental studies are needed to evaluate the real-world applicability of these findings in clinical settings.