Summary: | 碩士 === 中華大學 === 科技管理學系碩士班 === 100 === Background:Studies have shown that interactive whiteboards are effective teaching modalities; however, few studies have investigated the predictors of acceptance of interactive whiteboards among science teachers in elementary schools. The purpose of this study was to explore the factors that influence the acceptance of and attitude toward using interactive whiteboards among elementary school science teachers.
Methods:This study employed the technology acceptance model to explore the effects of background variables and belief variables on teachers’ acceptance of interactive whiteboards. Participants comprised a random sample of 220 elementary school science teachers at 21 schools in Changhua County, Taiwan. A self-report questionnaire was used to gather information on gender, seniority, educational background, school size, and school area (background variables) as well as perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude toward use, and tendency to use the technology (belief variables). The Pearson product-moment correlation technique was used to test for correlations between background and belief variables and linear regression analysis was carried out to measure the strength of associations between said variables and acceptance of interactive whiteboards.
Results:Of the 220 questionnaires administered, 191 were completed and 180 were valid. Gender, educational background, and school size did not have a significant effect on the likelihood of acceptance of interactive whiteboards among teachers; however, seniority and school location were positively associated with the acceptance of whiteboard usage. Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and attitude toward use were positively correlated with the tendency to use interactive whiteboards. In addition, perceived ease of use had a positive influence on the perceived usefulness of said modality. Furthermore, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use had a positive influence on the attitude toward use of interactive whiteboards. Although perceived usefulness was not associated with the tendency to use the technology, perceived ease of use had a positive effect on the tendency to use interactive whiteboards. Finally, the attitude toward use did not have a positive influence on the tendency to use the technology.
Conclusion:Belief variables are more predictive of teachers’ acceptance of interactive whiteboards than background variables. The results of this preliminary study could aid elementary school administrators in their decision-making process regarding the adoption of interactive whiteboards in science classrooms.
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