Investigating the Mediating Role of AI Dependency in the Relationship between AI Trust and AI Literacy with 21st-Century Skills in the Context of Developing Social Business in Primary Education
1
Department of Education, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran.
2
Lecturer at Farhangian University of Golestan Province
10.22059/jsbu.2026.403103.1068
Abstract
Social business, as a model for addressing educational challenges using emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, can play a key role. This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of AI dependency in the relationship between AI trust and AI literacy with 21st-century skills among elementary school teachers in Aliabad County, Golestan Province. The research method was descriptive-correlational. The statistical population consisted of 486 teachers, from which a sample of 156 was selected using Cochran's formula and systematic random sampling. Data were collected using questionnaires on 21st-century skills (Kelley et al., 2019), AI trust (Scharowski et al., 2024), AI dependency (Morales, 2024), and AI literacy (Grassini, 2024), and analyzed using Smart-PLS software and structural equation modeling. The findings revealed that AI trust and AI literacy have a significant positive impact on AI dependency. Furthermore, AI dependency showed a strong positive relationship with the dimensions of 21st-century skills (communication, critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration). The mediating role of AI dependency in the relationship between the independent variables and 21st-century skills was confirmed. In other words, AI literacy and trust, by fostering informed and purposeful dependency on AI, contribute to the enhancement of essential 21st-century skills. The results underscore the necessity of focusing on AI literacy and trust to develop 21st-century skills and indicate that a balanced and conscious dependency on AI can act as a facilitating factor in designing and implementing social business models to improve educational quality and equity.
Azizi shamami, M. and tajari, M. (2026). Investigating the Mediating Role of AI Dependency in the Relationship between AI Trust and AI Literacy with 21st-Century Skills in the Context of Developing Social Business in Primary Education. Social Business, 3(1), -. doi: 10.22059/jsbu.2026.403103.1068
MLA
Azizi shamami, M. , and tajari, M. . "Investigating the Mediating Role of AI Dependency in the Relationship between AI Trust and AI Literacy with 21st-Century Skills in the Context of Developing Social Business in Primary Education", Social Business, 3, 1, 2026, -. doi: 10.22059/jsbu.2026.403103.1068
HARVARD
Azizi shamami, M., tajari, M. (2026). 'Investigating the Mediating Role of AI Dependency in the Relationship between AI Trust and AI Literacy with 21st-Century Skills in the Context of Developing Social Business in Primary Education', Social Business, 3(1), pp. -. doi: 10.22059/jsbu.2026.403103.1068
CHICAGO
M. Azizi shamami and M. tajari, "Investigating the Mediating Role of AI Dependency in the Relationship between AI Trust and AI Literacy with 21st-Century Skills in the Context of Developing Social Business in Primary Education," Social Business, 3 1 (2026): -, doi: 10.22059/jsbu.2026.403103.1068
VANCOUVER
Azizi shamami, M., tajari, M. Investigating the Mediating Role of AI Dependency in the Relationship between AI Trust and AI Literacy with 21st-Century Skills in the Context of Developing Social Business in Primary Education. Social Business, 2026; 3(1): -. doi: 10.22059/jsbu.2026.403103.1068
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