Purpose -The purpose of this study is to assess the efficiency of the technology acceptance model (TAM) to explain pre-service teachers' intention to use technology in Turkey. Design/methodology/approach -A total of 197 pre-service teachers from a Turkish university completed a survey questionnaire measuring their responses to four constructs which explain their intention to use technology: attitude towards computer use, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use. A structural equation modeling (SEM) approach was employed for modeling and data analysis. Findings -Results revealed that the TAM is an efficient model to explain the intention to use technology of Turkish pre-service teachers. The proportion of variance explained in pre-service teachers' intention to use technology by its antecedents was 51 percent. In addition, four out of five hypotheses were supported in this study. Overall, the data in this study provided support that the TAM is a fairly efficient model with a potential to help in understanding technology acceptance pre-service teachers in Turkey. Originality/value -The TAM is a well-tested and validated model to explain the intention to use technology. However, information on its cross-cultural validity is limited. This study validated the TAM on a sample of pre-service teachers in Turkey and the results provided initial support for the cross-cultural validity of the TAM.

This study tests the direct and indirect effects of online learners’ personality traits, self-efficacy, and academic locus of control variables on grade point average (GPA) via path analysis. The participants of the study are 525 online learners from two different universities in Turkey. The results of the study reveal a good fit of the proposed model. Relationships in the research model show that self-efficacy has a positive direct effect and external academic locus of control has a negative direct effect on academic achievement. Conscientiousness, openness, and neuroticism have an indirect effect on the GPA, mediated by self-efficacy and external academic locus of control. Results are interpreted with the intent of providing an enhanced understanding of the importance of personality in students’ success at online learning experience.

Digital literacy is a critical skill that administrative staff must acquire to continue their business activities at higher education. However, digital literacy studies for administrative staff seem to be neglected in the current literature. This article examines the impact of higher education administrative staff’s digital literacy on their intention to use digital technologies while performing their tasks. For this purpose, a conceptual model consisting of effort expectancy and performance expectancy structures based on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology and expanded with the digital literacy dimension has been created. Data were collected from 158 participants who were administrative staff of two higher education institutions in Türkiye to evaluate the theoretical model. The data were analysed using the structural equation modelling technique. The findings revealed the relationship between the digital literacy skills of higher education administrative staff and their intention to use digital technology. According to the results, digital literacy has a direct effect on effort expectancy but not on performance expectancy. Also, contrary to our expectations, digital literacy does not directly affect the intention to use. However, digital literacy affects the intention to use digital technology through effort expectancy and performance expectancy. In higher education, personnel with low digital literacy skills should be identified and in-service training should be provided. This is one of the first studies to address the impact of digital literacy on technology acceptance by administrative staff working in higher education.

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This study examines the social anxiety of university students in online live lessons in terms of their digital literacy levels, gender, previous distance education experiences, and the way they interact with the teacher in live lessons. The study was conducted with a causal-comparative and correlational research design. Data was obtained from 167 university students with an online questionnaire. The instruments used in the study were the general information form, the student-teacher interaction subscale of the social anxiety scale in e-learning environments, and the digital literacy scale. The data analysis was carried out with correlation analysis and an independent sample t-test. Results of the research showed that the social anxiety of students in synchronous learning environments has a negative relationship with their digital skills. The social anxiety of female students was found to be higher than male students. Also, students who did not actively listen to the lesson and interact with the teacher through live chat were more anxious. The social anxiety did not differ according to previous distance education experience and the use of microphones in lessons.