Assessing digital library effectiveness of selected Iranian Universities / Ismail Samadi and Mohamad Noorman Masrek.

Given that digital libraries (DL) have been implemented in most Iranian universities and academic higher learning institutions, knowledge regarding users’ usage behaviour is still very limited. Not much is really known about the extent users; especially students exploit the DL for the purpose of enhancing their performance and productivity. Similarly, little is really known about the factors that shape Iranian students’ DL usage behavior from users’ lenses. To this effect, this study is aimed to investigate the usage behavior of users in a DL environment in selected Iranian universities. In addition, it is also aimed at investigating the determinants of DL usage behavior. The study used the survey research methodology and questionnaire as the tool for collecting data. A total of 750 valid responses was analyzed to test the developed hypotheses and the findings suggest that information quality, systems quality and service quality are significant predictor of DL usage. In addition, DL usage was found to have significant impact on personal sense of accomplishment, satisfaction and talks productivity. The contribution of the study can viewed from both theoretical and practical perspectives. From the theoretical viewpoint, it has developed an empirical based framework depicting the determinants and impacts of DL use. From the practical viewpoint, the developed instrument can be used to gauge the performance of the DL

Exploring the factors affecting pre-service science teachers’ actual use of technology during teaching practice

The primary objective of the research reported on here was to decide whether a combined framework of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) could be a valid and reliable model to predict Indonesian pre-service science teachers’ (PSTs’) actual use of technology (AUT) during teaching practice. A survey instrument consisting of attitudes (ATs), subjective norms (SN), perceived behavioural control (PBC), technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK), technological content knowledge (TCK), technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK), and AUT was adapted from previous studies and validated through face and content validity. Thereafter, the instrument was piloted to 135 PSTs and validated through exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The sample (n = 457) completed the instrument during the main data collection. The data analysis was done through the steps of partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), t-test, and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Through the measurement model phase, the combined framework was reported to be reliable and valid. SN was the strongest predictor (β = .445) of AUT, followed by PBC (β = .281). Meanwhile, AT, TPK, TCK, and TPCK were reported to be insignificant. Additionally, significant differences regarding AUT were reported based on gender and institution. An insignificant relationship emerged based on information and communication technology (ICT) -based courses

Applying Electronic Medical Records in health care Physicians’ perspective

Summary Background: In order to fulfill comprehensive interoperability and recognize the electronic medical records (EMRs’) benefits, physicians’ attitudes toward using and applying EMR must be recognized. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to present an integrated model of applying EMRs by physicians. Methods: This was a cross sectional study in which a sample of 330 physicians working in hospitals affiliated to the Tehran University of medical sciences (TUMS) was selected. Physicians’ attitudes toward using and accepting EMR in health care have been analyzed by an integrated model of two classical theories i.e. technology acceptance model (TAM) and diffusion of innovation (DOI). The model was tested using an empirical survey. The final model was tested by structural equation modeling (SEM) and represented by Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS). Results: The results suggest that the hybrid model explains about 43 percent of the variance of using and accepting of EMRs (R2=0.43). The findings also evidenced that Perceived Usefulness (PU), Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU), Relative Advantage, Compatibility, Complicatedness and Trainability have direct and significant effect on physicians’ attitudes toward using and accepting EMRs. But concerning observe ability, significant path coefficient was not reported. Conclusions: The integrated model supplies purposeful intuition for elucidates and anticipates of physicians’ behaviors in EMRs adoption. The study identified six relevant factors that affect using and applying EMRs that should be subsequently the major concern of health organizations and health policy makers

Factors affecting mobile banking adoption : an empirical study in Gwalior region

The aim of this study is to examine the factors which influence customers to adopt mobile banking. Going through the previous literature, four determinant factors have been identified. Individual variable is evaluated using a 5-point Likert-scale. Self-administered quantitative questionnaires were distributed, targeting the respondents in the Gwalior region which falls in central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, using the primary data collection method. A quantitative research technique was utilized for this exploration. A pilot investigation of 20 respondents was led to confirm the reliability of the questionnaire. Data was analysed using regression tests. The outcomes of this investigation brought the conclusion that perceived utility, perceived convenience, and perceived trust have a positive impact on the behavioural intention to adopt mobile banking whereas perceived financial costs were found to be insignificant. The paper concludes with a discussion of the exploration results and draws out a few implications for future researc

Healthy snacks consumption and the Theory of Planned Behaviour. The role of anticipated regret

Two empirical studies explored the role of anticipated regret (AR) within the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) framework (Ajzen, 1991), applied to the case of healthy snacks consumption. AR captures affective reactions and it can be defined as an unpleasant emotion experienced when people realize or imagine that the present situation would be better if they had made a different decision. In this research AR refers to the expected negative feelings for not having consumed healthy snacks (i.e., inaction regret). The aims were: a) to test whether AR improves the TPB predictive power; b) to analyze whether it acts as moderator within the TPB model relationships. Two longitudinal studies were conducted. Target behaviors were: consumption of fruit and vegetables as snacks (Study 1); consumption of fruit as snacks (Study 2). At time 1, the questionnaire included measures of intention and its antecedents, according to the TPB. Both the affective and evaluative components of attitude were assessed. At time 2, self-reported consumption behaviors were surveyed. Two convenience samples of Italian adults were recruited. In hierarchical regressions, the TPB variables were added at the first step; AR was added at the second step, and the interactions at the last step. Results showed that AR significantly improved the TPB ability to predict both intentions and behaviours, also after controlling for intention. In both studies AR moderated the effect of affective attitude on intention: affective attitude was significant only for people low in AR