From the perspective of the theory of planned behavior: how perceived school support and digital teaching efficacy influence digital teaching behavior

Digital teaching is shaping the future of education and driving significant reforms. However, the adoption of digital teaching methods by university teachers remains suboptimal. This study aims to identify factors influencing university teachers’ digital teaching behaviors (DTB). To achieve this, we extend the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and conduct a questionnaire survey among Chinese university teachers. This study innovatively combines external control factors (perceived school support, PSS) and internal control factors (digital teaching efficacy, DTE). Data were collected through an online survey with 623 valid responses. Data were analyzed using SPSS22.0 AMOS24.0 software. The findings reveal that PSS influences DTB through attitude (AT), subjective norm (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC). DTE affects DTB through AT and PBC. Furthermore, AT, SN, and PBC have a direct impact on DTB. Additionally, PSS significantly positively affects DTE. These results expand the TPB model and assist university administrators in understanding the internal and external factors influencing teachers’ digital teaching behavior, facilitating better decision-making.