Enhancing student innovation through student-perceived teacher AI literacy: a behavioral analysis perspective in educational psychology

BACKGROUND: In the evolving landscape of educational technology, artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping how educators understand and influence student behavior. This study examines the impact of student-perceived teacher AI literacy on students' innovative behavior through the theoretical lens of educational psychology and behavior analysis, guided by the conservation of resources theory. METHODOLOGY: Data were collected using stratified random sampling from multiple universities. The study investigated the mediating role of students' positive emotion and the moderating effect of organizational support in the relationship between student-perceived teacher AI literacy and student innovation. RESULTS: Findings reveal that student-perceived teacher AI literacy significantly enhances students' innovative behavior and positive emotion. Students' positive emotion serves as a key mediating variable, while organizational support amplifies the positive effects of student-perceived teacher AI literacy on student outcomes. CONCLUSION: This research demonstrates that educators' AI competencies can foster emotionally and behaviorally engaged learning environments, leading to improved student innovation. It provides practical implications for integrating AI into pedagogical strategies and contributes to the growing field of AI-driven educational psychology.