Abstract

This research aims to analyze the causal relationships among AI-driven digital innovation in agricultural and biological sciences education, student engagement, knowledge transfer, and learning effectiveness toward SDG 4 (Quality Education) in Thai universities. Data were collected from 400 students enrolled in agricultural and biological sciences programs at Thai universities in Bangkok, using stratified random sampling. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to test the research hypotheses. The results demonstrated that AI-driven digital innovation exerted a significant direct effect on knowledge transfer (β = 0.512, p < 0.001), and student engagement also exerted a significant direct effect on knowledge transfer (β = 0.468, p < 0.001). Knowledge transfer had the strongest direct effect on learning effectiveness (β = 0.524, p < 0.001). AI-driven digital innovation exerted a significant direct effect on learning effectiveness (β = 0.312, p < 0.001), and student engagement exerted a significant direct effect on learning effectiveness (β = 0.386, p < 0.001). Mediation analysis confirmed that knowledge transfer significantly mediates the relationship between AI-driven digital innovation and learning effectiveness (β = 0.268, p < 0.001) and between student engagement and learning effectiveness (β = 0.181, p < 0.001). These findings establish that knowledge transfer functions as the central mediating mechanism linking both AI-driven digital innovation and student engagement to learning effectiveness, providing empirical foundations for advancing digital transformation in Thai agricultural and biological sciences education in alignment with SDG 4.