Psychometric validation of the ‘ChatGPT acceptance and use scale’ (AUS-GPT), and comparative analysis of its adoption among Mexican higher education students (2023-2025)

This study aims, on the one hand, to translate, culturally adapt, and gather evidence of validity and reliability for the ChatGPT Acceptance and Use Scale (AUS-GPT) among Mexican higher education students ( n = 770); and, on the other hand, to examine, through a 2 × 3 ex-post-facto comparative design, multivariate differences in the acceptance and use of ChatGPT based on academic year (2023 vs. 2025) and self-reported gender, as well as the potential dependence of ChatGPT use over time on gender. Content validity showed near-perfect inter-rater agreement, as indicated by the weighted Bangdiwala coefficient and Gwet's AC2, supporting a highly consistent expert judgment of item relevance and representativeness. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated a satisfactory model fit, while convergent validity evidence was mixed. Internal consistency indices ranged and measurement invariance by gender and cohort was confirmed across all levels. The MANOVA revealed a strong effect of time and a significant Year × Gender interaction. In 2023, men and individuals identifying with other gender identities outperformed women on eight and nine theoretical dimensions of the AUS-GPT, respectively. By 2025, no significant differences were observed, indicating a convergence of means toward high values and the internalization of ChatGPT use as a habit. These findings support the psychometric adequacy of the AUS-GPT in a Mexican population in terms of content validity, model fit, reliability, and gender and cross-cohort invariance, although claims regarding overall convergent validity should be tempered, especially for the 2025 measurement occasion. They further suggest that, between 2023 and 2025, the widespread adoption of ChatGPT led to a generalized and consistent improvement in perceptions of usefulness, ease of use, motivation, and habit formation, regardless of students' self-identified gender.