A Systematic Review of College Students’ Digital Technology Application Based on the UTAUT Framework
Keywords:
cognitive load, digital learning, digital justice, UTAUT, university studentsAbstract
Digital teaching platforms, virtual simulators and generative AI are deeply embedded in university teaching, while students show a clear contradiction: they readily adopt digital tools but rarely maintain autonomous long-term usage. Venkatesh et al.’s (2003) UTAUT has become the leading analytical framework for digital learning research due to its integrative strengths. This systematic review collates 2003–2026 literature from Web of Science, Scopus and CSSCI journals and unfolds analysis from seven dimensions. The four core UTAUT constructs positively predict usage intention with effect disparities across grades, majors and digital literacy groups. Supplementing UTAUT with cognitive load, self-efficacy, burnout and digital justice greatly elevates its explanatory capacity; continuous usage intention serves as the central mediator, and digital proficiency is the most reliable moderator. Existing research is hampered by instrumental rational bias, overused cross-sectional designs, inadequate disadvantaged student samples and immature AI-oriented theories. This paper puts forward multi-future research proposals and delivers standardized theoretical support for higher education digitalization studies.References
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