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Utilitarian and experiential aspects in acceptance models for learning technology

Educational Technology Research and Development volume 69, pages 627–654 (2021)Cite this article

Abstract

Identifying and understanding factors influencing the adoption of a specific technology in various educational settings is critical for maximizing the effectiveness of using the technology. Research based on Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) in education provides an extensive insight into constructs that influence the adoption of learning technology. Most of these constructs represent either the utilitarian or the experiential aspect, e.g., self-efficacy and system quality (utilitarian) or satisfaction and perceived enjoyment (experiential). However, no prior review tried to systematize how these aspects have been addressed in different learning contexts. This review investigates to what extent and how these aspects have been addressed in TAM-based studies in general and relative to the contextual factors: types of participants, types of technology, and learning environment factors. Therefore, 112 good-quality articles have been reviewed. 132 constructs that addressed the utilitarian aspect have been classified into categories such as user characteristics, technology characteristics, learning/teaching process characteristics, etc. 64 constructs from the pre-coded categories of ‘social influence’ and ‘experience of use’ addressed the experiential aspect. The utilitarian aspect has been largely studied in some learning contexts (e.g., adult learners and educators/teachers as participants), whereas the experiential aspect is more prominent in some other learning contexts (e.g., students in primary and secondary education as participants, hedonic technology). The review discusses and summarizes the identified research gaps, as well as some implications for future research.

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Notes

  1. A period of time might be short (e.g., several days of intensive use or of multiple uses of technology) or long (e.g., use of technology over a semester, a school year or even several years).

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Acknowledgements

The research described in this paper was funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia.

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  1. Mihailo Pupin Institute, Volgina 15, 11060, Belgrade, Serbia

    Sonja Dimitrijević

  2. Faculty of Organizational Sciences, FON, University of Belgrade, Jove Ilića 154, Belgrade, Serbia

    Vladan Devedžić

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Dimitrijević, S., Devedžić, V. Utilitarian and experiential aspects in acceptance models for learning technology. Education Tech Research Dev 69, 627–654 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-021-09970-x

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Keywords

  • Utilitarian
  • Experiential
  • Experience of use
  • Social influence
  • TAM
  • Systematic literature review