Determining University Students’ Motivations for Using Computer- Mediated Communication Technologies

Motivated by the increasing popularity of computer-mediated communication (CMC) technologies in university students learning, this study will explore students’ motivations for using CMC technologies in their learning. By employing uses and gratifications (U&G) perspective, this paper aims to identify dimensions of motivation in students’ CMC technology use. It also proposes that students’ technology self-efficacy and communication apprehension influence their motivations for using technologies. A three-stage research design procedure is proposed. Finally, the paper concludes with a discussion of the implications for both IS researchers and higher education

Harnessing Technology: analysis of emerging trends affecting the use of technology in education (September 2008)

Research to support the delivery and development of Harnessing Technology: Next Generation Learning 2008–1

Exploring Expression-Based Apprehension in Online and Traditional Sections of a General Education, Introductory Communication Course.

Apprehension negatively impacts student learning. As online and hybrid communication courses continue to be offered it is important to expand and update research regarding the following constructs: communication apprehension, receiver apprehension, writing apprehension, and computer apprehension. This study examines correlations between and among these constructs, differences by gender and course format, and changes between pre- and posttest results. Students enrolled in traditional and online sections of a basic communication course completed pre- and posttests consisting of a demographic survey, the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension, the Receiver Apprehension Test, the Writing Apprehension Test, and the Computer and Web Attitude Scale. Results suggest positive and negative correlations between and among various constructs, differences in apprehension levels based on gender and format, and various changes between pre- and posttests. Research on expression-based apprehension is important to improve pedagogical practices and encourage the development of communication skills regardless of course format

Longitudinal Effects of Computer-mediated Communication Anxiety on Interaction in Virtual Teams

Research has identified a unique individual characteristic that influences behavior in a computer-mediated communication (CMC) environment, CMC anxiety. While prior work demonstrates CMC anxiety’s impact on CMC use, it does not specifically address how CMC anxiety impacts use and interaction behaviors. Further, prior work has not explored the impact of CMC anxiety on use and performance over time. To address these issues, we surveyed and observed the interactions of 22 virtual project teams (consisting of 110 individuals) over a span of four months. The results indicate that individuals high in CMC anxiety have lower quantity and quality of participation, demonstrated by their sending fewer total messages and task-oriented messages in particular. In addition, they contribute to team performance less by providing fewer novel ideas. To compensate, we find that CMC anxious individuals do send relatively more socially oriented messages. Ultimately, CMC anxious individuals are rated by their team members as performing worse than their less anxious counterparts. Additionally, participation quality and quantity and perceptions of performance by CMC anxious team members do not significantly improve, even with repeated interactions over CMC

FACTORS AFFECTING COSUMERS’ ATTITUDE TOWARDS ONLINE RESERVATION: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS

With the rapid penetration of Internet in India and the increasing usage of the Internet for commercial purposes makes it imperative to understand and identify the factors which affects the attitude of consumers towards the adoption of Internet as an alternate channel for online reservations in case of Indian online travel industry. In this study we have identified perceived usefulness and playfulness as the significant predictors of consumers’ attitude towards using the Internet as an alternate channel for online reservation. We also found that novelty seeking and anxiety are not the significant predictors of attitude. These findings have implications for the online travel agents primarily because research has shown that a positive attitude leads to behavioural intention and hence behavioural action i.e. purchases (online transactions)

Email stress and desired email use

This thesis is about workplace stress due to email and computer-mediated communication use. Rather than focusing on email-specific constructs such as email overload, email interruptions or email use outside working hours, it draws an overarching construct of ‘email stress’ based on previous theories of traditional workplace stress. This cross-disciplinary approach emphasizes the individually appraised nature of email stress. As a result, the thesis gives a central importance to individuals using email and, more importantly, to their desired email use. The thesis is based on a three-stage multi-method design involving quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews. The results of these studies are part of the four self-sufficient papers composing the thesis. While the papers make their own contributions, they also build on one another to advance the understanding of email stress as being a kind of stress that is individually appraised and that affects workplace well-being. The papers adapt theories of workplace stress, such as Person-Environment Fit and Cybernetics, to the study of email stress, and empirically validate these adaptations. They reveal how email stress can be the result of unfulfilled desires in terms of email use or a reason for desiring fewer emails. As employees do not often have control over their email use, the findings encourage the emergence of a more empathetic organizational culture taking into account individuals’ desires in terms of email use

Workplace stress from actual and desired computer-mediated communication use:a multi-method study

The use of computer-mediated communication applications can lead to workplace stress for employees. However, such stress is influenced not only by how individuals actually use computer-mediated communication applications but also how they desire to use them. This article examines how the individual's actual and desired use of communication tools together influence his or her workplace stress. It does so across a range of computer-mediated media (e.g. email or instant messaging) and workplace stressors (e.g. workload or work relationships). This investigation is conducted using a multi-method research design. The quantitative study found that desired and actual use together influenced workplace stress, mostly for email, but not for other media. The qualitative study further showed that such influence depends on organisational conditions such as available media or co-workers preferences. The findings emphasise the importance of considering the individuals’ desired use of CMC media and their subjective appraisals of different media