TAM and stages of adoption of blended learning in higher education by application of data mining techniques

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to analyse and identify the stages of adoption of the blended learning (BL or b‐learning) methodology in higher education contexts, and to assess the relationship of these stages with a set of variables related to personal and professional characteristics, attributes perceived on BL and contextual variables. About 980 active academic staff from 43 Spanish public universities participated. The technology acceptance model (TAM) was used as a theoretical framework for the operational definition of the variables. Through the use of data mining techniques (clustering and decision trees), groupings were made based on the b‐learning adoption stage and a subsequent predictive model of these stages. The results show that the intention to use BL is the most important predictor variable in all models applied. In addition, the relationship between higher frequency of use and experience in digital educational environments with higher stages of implementation of the BL methodology was verified. Regarding the socio‐demographic variables included in the study, it was observed that they exert effects that are marginal in all cases. Practitioner NotesWhat is already known about this topic Many universities and higher education institutions are designing strategic plans and diverse actions to implement and spread the use of BL methodologies. TAM has been widely used to study the behaviour and the intention of using a wide variety of specific technologies in the classroom. The study of BL from the perspective of TAM has generally been carried out using inferential analysis techniques. What this paper adds Analysis of complex systems such as the BL methodology from the TAM approach. Groups of adopting teachers can be analysed using the TAM approach according to the stage of use of this innovation. In contrast to traditional inferential techniques, this paper proposes a methodological procedure based on decision trees, which facilitates a more refined analysis of the relationship and interactions between the set of TAM predictor variables (PU, PEOU, BI, etc.) and the criterion variable (stages of adoption). The obtaining of more complete and adjusted trees leads to better prediction and identification of the concrete actions that could be implemented by higher education institutions as protective or motivating factors for the diffusion of the BL methodology. Implications for practice and/or policy Interest in focusing attention on a complex system such as the one represented by the BL methodology from the perspective of models of technological acceptance reinforces an interesting line of research that can enrich the approach and scope of the TAM theory and generates knowledge that helps promote strategic actions to optimise the institutional diffusion of the BL training modality in higher education contexts.

Fear from COVID-19 and technology adoption: the impact of Google Meet during Coronavirus pandemic

“…For the first three hypotheses, the focus was on the factors of PEU and PU. The hypotheses seem to be consistent with previous studies, that is, the fact that usefulness of Google Meet is governed by its of ease of use seems to be agreed upon by much prior research where colleges and universities were encouraged to focus on the factors of usefulness and ease of use (Martín-García et al, 2019;Rafique et al, 2020). For the fourth hypothesis, where SN factor was investigated, the results have shown that peer's opinions have an effective role in creating an influential educational environment.…”

Profiling teaching staff using blended learning in their practices in higher education

“…Use was made of the Cuestionario sobre Modalidad Formativa Combinada en las Universidades (Questionnaire on the Blended Learning Method at Universities), created and validated beforehand by the research team (Martín and Sánchez 2014;Martín, Martínez, and Reyes 2019). As a self-report measure, the instrument is divided into three blocks of content.…”

Fases de implementación de Blended Learning en las universidades españolas. Estudio basado en análisis de segmentación.

“…Esta formación previa tiene un efecto positivo sobre las creencias y la actitud favorable de los profesores y, en definitiva, sobre la implementación de la enseñanza combinada. Resultado constatado también en la literatura especializada (Duarte et al 2018;Fernández-Rodrigo et al, 2019;López et al, 2019;Martín-García et al, 2019b).…”

“…Nuestros resultados apoyan la relación entre una mayor experiencia de uso de entornos de formación y competencia digital con fases más altas de implementación de la metodología B-learning conforme a los estadios tipificados en nuestro trabajo. Resultado que coincide con otros presentes en la literatura especializada en el que se observa como el éxito del e-Learning o del B-learning tienen una clara relación con la familiaridad y manejo de plataformas y recursos tecnológicos (Jornet et al, 2012;Picciano & Seaman, 2007;Martín-García et al, 2019a;Martín-García et al, 2019b).…”