Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Anar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Anar,Kerman, Iran
2 Visiting Assistant Professor, faculty of Education, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran.
3 Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Sciences, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
Abstract
Problem Statement
Research on the acceptance of technology by users often focuses on identifying the factors that effectively influence the user's intent or actual usage of technology. Among the educational users of technology, we can mention teachers and learners. Understanding the factors that influence teachers' and learners' acceptance of technology is essential in effective integration of technology into teaching. Teachers are key actors in the successful integration of technology in educational processes. They expect to utilize technology tools to support effective teaching and related activities. With technology's entrance into teaching and learning processes, the requirements for teachers to integrate technology into their duties have also increased. Research suggests that teachers may not utilize technology for professional purposes unless it is compatible with the expectations of stakeholders and the extent of the school's digital infrastructure (Teo, 2019). Among the external factors influencing the implementation of technology in educational environments, the characteristics of the technology itself are especially important. The characteristics of technology represent the attributes that aid individuals or organizations in forming perceptions regarding its perceived usefulness and ease of use. This, in turn, influences their overall willingness to adopt and use the technology (Nuryyev et al., 2020). In the realm of web-based technologies, a prominent study that was referred to in Ifinedo (2006) identified two factors that significantly predict ease of use. The factors noted were ease of understanding and ease of locating information. According to Brown (2000), ease of finding entails not only the idea that technology should be simple to navigate but also that it should enable user returning to previous pages easily. Ease of understanding of web-based learning technology encompasses the need for clarity, suitability for modifications and graphics, and visual appeal. Further, the technology must enable links to detailed information about topics for easy reference. In the field of education, the structure of web-based technology refers to the comprehensibility of pre-defined, teacher-driven content or patterns, such as those provided by the curriculum or other learning resources. In the study by Brown (2000), the findings showed that these two factors have a significant influence on the ease of web-based technology use. Although Brown's research (2000) established a significant link between ease of use and these factors, less research exists regarding these factors' effects on the usefulness of web-based technology. As per the findings of Ifinedo (2006) which built upon the study by Lee, Cho, Gay, Davidson, and Ingrafea (2003), a significant link was identified between ease of understanding and easy locating, on one hand, and ease of use and practicality of using web-based technology, on the other. Additionally, the findings of Ifinedo's study (Ifinedo, 2506) revealed that both ease of understanding and ease of locating are positive predictors of perceived ease and efficacy of technology usage. Having said that, the research hypotheses are as follows:
The direct effect of ease of understanding on perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of use technology is significant.
The direct effect of ease of finding on perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of use technology is significant.
The direct effect of perceived ease of use on perceived usefulness and attitude toward the use of technology is significant.
The direct effect of perceived usefulness on attitude toward the use and behavioral intention to use technology is significant.
The direct effect of attitude toward the use of technology on behavioral intention to use technology is significant.
The direct effect of behavioral intention to use technology on actual usage of technology is significant.
The indirect effect of ease of understanding on perceived usefulness, attitude toward use, behavioral intention, and actual usage of technology is significant.
The indirect effect of ease of finding on perceived usefulness, attitude toward use, behavioral intention, and actual usage of technology is significant.
Methodology
In accordance with the research design, the present study was descriptive and quantitative, with a correlation approach, which was aimed to analyze the variance-covariance matrix between the research variables. The statistical population of the research comprised all teachers of Anar City (N=200) in Kerman Province, who were active during the academic year of 2019-2020. According to the table provided by Karjesi and Morgan (1970), a sample size of 127 was determined due to the nature of the research. However, considering the need for a larger sample and with the aim of preventing attrition, 150 teachers were selected using simple random sampling. The chosen sample completed the Technology Acceptance Model questionnaire (TAM) and the WLT characteristics scale, and the collected data were analyzed through path analysis as the statistical method.
Research findings
The results of the data analysis related to the testing of the research hypotheses indicated:
Ease of understanding was positively correlated with perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of technology, and this relationship was significant.
Ease of finding had a positive correlation to perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of technology usage, and this relationship was significant.
Although perceived ease of use had a positive correlation with perceived usefulness, this relationship was significant. However, perceived ease of use did not have a significant effect on attitude towards technology usage.
Perceived usefulness had a positive correlation with attitude towards technology usage and behavioral intention to use technology, and both relationships were significant
Attitude towards technology usage was positively correlated with behavioral intention to use technology, and this relationship was significant.
Although behavioral intention to use technology was found to be positively correlated with actual technology usage, this relationship was not significant.
Mediating results revealed that perceived usefulness mediated the relationship between ease of understanding and behavioral intent and between ease of understanding and attitude towards technology, while perceived ease of use also mediated the relationship between ease of understanding and perceived usefulness. All three relationships had positive and significant correlations.
Mediating results revealed that perceived usefulness was a mediator in the relationship between ease of finding and behavioral intent and between ease of finding and attitude towards technology, while perceived easiness of use also mediated the relationship between ease of finding and perceived usefulness. All three relationships had positive and significant findings.
Conclusion
The obtained outcomes indicated that when guidance using technology was designed to be simple and easily accessible, and when users could simply navigate back to previous pages of their training, technology usage in teaching was rated as being easier and more suitable. Therefore, users viewed technology in a more practical and beneficial light. The findings revealed that teachers generally perceived that technology was more useful and easier to incorporate into their teaching when the terms used were comprehendible and well-suited for their purposes, and when the content provided was simple and structured. Literature reveals that utilizing technology in the educational environment and combining it with the classroom process can make the teaching-learning process more diverse and engaging for students. However, the use of and integration of technology by teachers in the classroom is contingent upon their competence and familiarity with different technologies and their applications. As teachers perceive their own knowledge and competence in technology, it has a direct effect on their understanding of the ease and practical applications of it in their teaching. Specifically, teachers using technology as an educational strategy to improve student engagement and learning outcomes can have positive effects on two significant motivators: perception of ease and usefulness of technology usage in the teaching process. Upon recognizing the benefits technology can confer upon themselves and their students, teachers integrate technology into their curricular curriculum. This, in turn, leads to significant changes in the overall teaching-learning process as teachers utilize the technology for their classroom lessons. Ultimately, this has a positive impact on the teaching-learning process and helps to revolutionize the traditional educational framework. The successful integration of web-based technology into the educational environment demands an efficient design and implementation of the systems. This, in turn, enables improved teacher performance, which, ultimately, leads to teachers recognizing the usefulness of the technology in their teaching process. Previous studies, including those conducted by Salam et al. (2018), have reported that the integration of information and communication technology in educational processes has a broad range of positive effects. These include improving the learning process, enhancing teacher and student motivation, transforming the classroom from a teacher-centered to learner-centered environment, fostering creativity, problem-solving, informational reasoning, communication, and abstract thinking skills. In corroboration of Salam et al. (2018), it has been found that the inclusion of information and communication technology into the educational structure has a wide range of significant effects. These include enhancing the learning process, bolstering teacher and student motivation, transforming the classroom from a teacher-oriented to learner-oriented environment, fostering creativity, problem-solving, informational reasoning, communication, and abstract thinking skills between students and teachers.
Keywords
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