Generative artificial intelligence use and interpersonal educational interaction among nursing students: self-regulated learning as a statistical mediator

Generative artificial intelligence (GAI) is reshaping health sciences education. For nursing students, educational interaction (EI), self-regulated learning (SRL), and GAI interaction are all particularly important. However, these relationships and their processes remain underexplored.

A total of 1020 nursing students were recruited from one medical university in Hunan Province in China. The Demographics Questionnaire, the Chinese version of Student-GAI interaction scale, the Educational Interaction Scale, and the Self-regulated Learning Questionnaire were administered. SPSS 22.0 and AMOS 24.0 software were used to analyze the data.

The mean scores of student-GAI interaction (SGI) and EI were 14.80 ± 2.27 and 70.90 ± 8.15, respectively. Significant positive relationships were found among all three variables (all P < 0.01). Both SGI (β = 0.256) and SRL (β = 0.520) positively were associated with EI (both P < 0.001). Furthermore, SGI showed a significant direct association with EI, with a direct effect value of 0.92 (P < 0.001). SRL statistically mediated the association between SGI and EI, with a significant indirect effect value of 0.44. The mediating effect represented 32.35% of the total effect (P < 0.001). Dimension-specific analyses revealed that the mediating effect was strongest for student-teacher interaction (45.41%) and student-content interaction (41.54%).

SGI is positively associated with EI among nursing students, both directly and indirectly through SRL. Educational strategies that encourage effective GAI use and strengthen SRL may be associated with enhanced EI in nursing education.