Why do students use ChatGPT? Answering through a triangulation approach

ChatGPT has been a revolutionizing AI Chatbot, that has impacted academia significantly. Although there has been a number of studies over the influence of AI and education, a focus towards why students use it is minimal. This study explores factors affecting student use of ChatGPT through a triangulation approach, blending exploratory, qualitative, and quantitative analyses. Through exploration of factors via prior literature and analysis of narratives by the respondents of qualitative analysis to measuring their relationships quantitatively using SEM techniques, the study identifies core reasons to use ChatGPT by students of higher education. The findings highlight the significance of six out of seven studied exogenous variables, demonstrating strong positive associations with students' intention to use ChatGPT and their actual engagement with the platform. These empirical results validate the importance of these factors in shaping students' interactions with ChatGPT, also revealing a previously undiscovered factor that enriches existing knowledge. By substantiating qualitative insights and establishing a robust quantitative model, it enhances students' comprehension of ChatGPT adoption in educational contexts, contributing significantly to the field's knowledge base and works as a guide for policymakers to effectively design strategies in order to get maximum benefit from the tool's usage in academia.