Examining the role of technology‐related policy and constructivist teaching belief on English teachers’ technology acceptance: A study in Chinese universities

Abstract

This large scale study investigated the influences that technology-related policies and teachers' constructivist teaching beliefs have on their intention to use technology in Chinese universities. Data were collected from 696 English teachers working in 59 Chinese universities. Five variables (subjective norm, constructivist teaching belief, perceived importance of policy, computer self-efficacy and voluntariness) were examined in this study. Results indicated that perceived importance of policy, constructivist teaching beliefs and subjective norm were significant antecedents of perceived usefulness. The relationship between subjective norm and teachers' intentions to use technology was moderated by voluntariness. Besides perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use also had significantly influenced English teachers' behavioural intention. Overall, the research model explained 69% of variance of teachers' intentions to use technology. This study has the potential to enrich our understanding of technology acceptance in teaching by contextualising the study in the rarely researched English teaching context in Chinese universities. The findings from this study also provide suggestions for policy makers and teacher educators.

Digital Nativity, Computer Self-Efficacy, and Technology Adoption: A Study Among University Faculties in China

“…The results of this study evidence the validity of the TAM to predict teachers' intentions to use technology (Teo et al, 2018 ; Huang and Teo, 2021 ), as well as the important role digital nativity played in technology adoption of university faculties, which highlights the importance of incorporating constructs like digital nativity to examine users' technology adoption. This is especially rationale since many university faculties are digital immigrants and they need to pick up technology skills to cope with job requirements in the digital age.…”

“…During the pandemic, Chinese people's collectivism was increasingly strengthened due to the Chinese government's fast and effective response to the pandemic. Therefore, university faculties' decision making may be more likely to be influenced by policy requirement as suggested by Huang and Teo ( 2021 ). In addition, the fact that perceived ease of use was not significantly related to perceived usefulness calls for further consideration of antecedents of perceived usefulness by considering cultural and contextual features.…”

“…CSE derives from Bandura ( 1977 )'s notion of self-efficacy that gauges the extent to which one perceives that he or she has the ability to organize, execute actions and achieve specific goals. In technology acceptance studies, researchers found that CSE played a significant role in influencing users' perceived ease of use (Teo et al, 2018 ; Bai et al, 2021 ; Huang and Teo, 2021 ). In this study, we included CSE as an extended variable because we believe individuals with a high level of CSE may not easily feel anxious or frustrated when they face unexpected challenges, such as the emergent shift to online teaching as a result of COVID-19 in particular.…”

Technology enhanced learning acceptance among university students during Covid-19: Integrating the full spectrum of Self-Determination Theory and self-efficacy into the Technology Acceptance Model

“…Over decades of research, researchers combined Self-Determination Theory and the Technology Acceptance Model to gain a better understanding of technology acceptance through the inclusion of human psychological perspectives (Hew & Kadir, 2016 ; Lee et al, 2015 ). To that end, Self-Determination Theory variables were linked to the Technology Acceptance Model as predictors of PU and PEU (Nikou & Economides, 2017 ), as these two factors were significant antecedents to BI in the Technology Acceptance Model (Huang & Teo, 2021 ). While Self-Determination Theory may help explain the psychological factors underlying technology acceptance, because its theoretical perspective is highly correlated with acceptance of technology enhanced learning (Fathali & Okada, 2018 ).…”

“…However, the model has been criticized for being too conservative to provide practical advice on how to improve PU and PEU (Luo et al, 2021 ; Wong, 2016 ). At the same time, it was also criticized for being overly simplistic when used in the absence of external variables (Huang & Teo, 2021 ). As a result, significant effort has been made to expand the Technology Acceptance Model by adding factors and incorporating external factors that contribute to researchers' understanding of technology acceptance, such as variables found in online ecosystems (Abdullah et al, 2016 ).…”