Investigating the Effects of Subjective Norms and Trialability on English Teachers` Attitude toward the Use of Technology

Despite the availability of many technological resources in academic settings and their determinant effect in the improvement of teaching and learning, it seems that teachers rarely used them. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of psychological variables on teachers` attitudes regarding technology use.  In this research, most applicable models like the 'technology acceptance model', 'theory of reasoned action', and 'innovation diffusion theory' are used as the foundation for developing a conceptual framework. Variables such as 'perceived usefulness', 'perceived ease of use', 'trialability', 'subjective norms', and 'attitude' are recaptured from these models. The participants of the present research are high school English language teachers in Shiraz. The researcher uses stratified sampling to identify a representative sample from the population. The present study is administered by using five questionnaires to assess variables. The data are analyzed by means of path analysis. According to the obtained result, perceived ease of use is found to be affected by subjective norms and trialability, which in turn influenced the attitude of teachers toward using technology in their teachings. The results propose that the most influential factor on attitude is trialability (β= 0.38). On the other hand, perceived usefulness has a significant, influential effect on attitude. Subjective norms has an indirect but important effect on attitude

Maybe, Maybe Not: Examining Factors that Influence Adjunct Faculty Members’ Instructional Technology Usage

This quantitative predictive study examines the influence of attitude, subjective norm (peer pressure) and perceived behavioral control on whether adjunct faculty will or will not utilize instructional technology in their classroom. Based on the Decomposed theory of planned behavior (Taylor & Todd, 1995) a survey of 286 adjunct faculty was conducted in a mid-western state-wide university and college system. The study also explored the working conditions of adjunct faculty which hinder their teaching withing the classroom. The finding shows the while attitude and subjective norm are statistically significant predictors of user’s intention, perceived behavioral control is the strongest predictor of intention to use instructor technology. However, current behavioral control by adjunct faculty is hindered by existing working conditions found within higher educational organizations

Mainstreaming Disaster-Relief Service-Learning in Communication Departments: Integrating Communication Pedagogy, Praxis, and Engagement

Communication is the primary mode through which students inculcate critical thinking skills for (re)construction of social reality and engagement with communities in need (Craig, 1989). Thus it is well-suited to disaster-relief service-learning approaches that provide a pathway for democratic engagement with the material consequences of inequality evidenced in disaster-struck communities. Communication administrators can advocate for disaster-relief service-learning programs by aligning theoretically-informed student input in faculty–administration partnerships to construct transformative learning experiences sustaining trusting relationships. This study is the first to employ the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1986) to identify themes comprising student composite disaster-relief volunteering belief-structure and disaster-relief volunteering intentions elicited by surveys (N=352) and theme analyses of qualitative data. The findings center the role of communication administrators in integrating disaster-relief pedagogies and advocating for institutional initiatives that bridge “thought to action, theory to practice” (Boyer, 1994, p. A48) around the vital social issues evoked by disaster-relief contexts

Faculty Use Of Open Educational Resources: Attitudes, Norms, And Self-Efficacy As Behavioral Predictors.

The primary drivers of open educational practices, open educational resources (OER), and OER enabled pedagogy are the faculty who will help transform higher education in these domains. The purpose of this study was to understand factors that lead faculty to use OER and to learn how their use is related to teaching behaviors. It is broadly based on an OER Research Hub hypothesis that the use of OER leads to critical reflection by the educator with evidence of improvement in their practices. Within that hypothesis is the suggestion that the use of OER causes faculty to incorporate a wider range of content, consider different teaching approaches and reflect on their practices as an educator. In this study, the components of this hypothesis are dissected by directly measuring faculty teaching and reflective practices and using the components of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to explain factors that contributed to the behavior. This research looks at faculty perceived attitudes towards OER, their subjective norms of peers, and their self-efficacy in teaching as determinants of behavior. This yields three research questions. What are the attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control of faculty in relation to three behaviors: use of OER to prepare for instruction, use of OER within a course, and reflective practices. Higher education faculty in the United States were surveyed (n=414) using questions adapted from the Attitude Towards Open Education Resources (ATOER), the Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES), and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). Data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate regression. The findings show the impact that OER use has on how teaching faculty change the way they prepare for classes, the way they engage with students in the classroom, and the way they reflect on their teaching. When looked at independently, attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control each significantly explained the use of OER in preparing for instruction and reflective practices. Perceived behavioral control was not significant in explaining use of OER in a course. Multivariate models incorporating all three of the major constructs of the TPB, found the models to be a significant predictors of use of OER in preparing for instruction, use of OER in a course, and faculty reflective practice. However, in both the univariate and the multivariate models, the amount of variance explained was very low, with there being no explanation above 20%. The findings also identified the need for interventions that facilitate transformative teaching using OER. A deeper understanding of the faculty who use OER and the factors related to OER that influence faculty practices is an important contribution to the research

Chinese language teachers’ perceptions of technology and instructional use of technology: A path analysis

ArticleThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from SAGE Publications via the DOI in this record.This study examined internal and external factors affecting pedagogical use of technology among 47 K–12 Chinese language teachers in the United States. Path analysis of the survey data was used to examine the relationships between the teachers’ instructional use of technology, on the one hand, and on the other, their perceptions of three internal factors (i.e., technology’s usefulness, its ease of use, and subjective norms) and one external factor (i.e., facilitating conditions). The results showed that these teachers’ pedagogical use of technology could be predicted by two of the three internal factors (i.e., perceived usefulness and subjective norms) and by the external factor. Additionally, the external factor was found to have a significant influence on both perceived ease of use and subjective norms.This work was supported by the Dr. Delia Koo Global Faculty Endowment at Michigan State University

Pre-service Teachers’ Beliefs About Using Maker Activities in Formal K-12 Educational Settings: A Multi-Institutional Study

This qualitative study examined preservice teachers\u27 beliefs about using maker activities in formal educational settings. Eighty-two preservice and early-career teachers at three different universities in the United States took part in one-time workshops designed to introduce them to various maker tools and activities applicable to K–12 educational environments. Data were collected from 16 focus groups conducted during the workshops in spring 2016. Researchers analyzed the data using the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1985, 1991) to better understand the teachers\u27 attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control related to making activities, with the ultimate goal of using this information to assist teacher preparation programs in preparing their students to implement maker tools and strategies in their future classrooms. Participants expressed favorable attitudes toward implementing maker activities in their future classrooms and noted these tools and activities aligned with instructional strategies encouraged in their teacher preparation programs, including problem-based learning, inquiry learning, and hands-on learning activities, but noted several perceived barriers such as access to resources and working with reluctant peers and administrators

Thriving Instead of Surviving: The Role of the Reasoned Action Model in Assessing the Basic Course

The current study investigates the use of the reasoned action model (Fishbein & Ajzen, 2010) as an assessment tool for the basic communication course. Specifically, this study examines how attitude towards behaviors, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control influence students’ behavioral intentions to use communication behaviors taught in the basic course outside of class. In addition to the stated variables in the reasoned action model, this study also examines how knowledge gain influences behavioral intention. Data was collected from 2,228 students enrolled in a basic communication course at a large southwestern university, and a random sample of 666 students was included in the analyses for the current study. Attitudes toward the behaviors, perceived behavioral control, and knowledge gain all positively influenced students’ behavioral intention to enact behaviors learned in the basic course, while subjective norms had a negative effect. The theoretical and practical implications discussed provide basic course directors with innovative ways to use the reasoned action model to assess the utility of the communication behaviors taught in basic courses

Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior to Health Education Programming for Traumatic Brain Injury

The focus of this paper is to demonstrate how the use of health education models, specifically of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), an expanded version of the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), can enhance and strengthen family/caregiver programming and the individual experiences of participants. To this end, this paper explores the value of theory to health education practice and looks at the impact of traumatic brain injury (TBI) on the well-being of family members and caregivers. Secondly, it applies the TPB to the Holland and Shigaki three-phase family/caregiver education program for TBI. And, finally, the potential merits of this exercise are examined.Master'sSchool of Health Professions and Studies: Health EducationUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/117744/1/BellK.pd

A Quantitative Study on the Factors Impacting Entrepreneurial Intention Of Social Sciences Students in Chengdu, China

Purpose: Research on college students’ entrepreneurial attitudes and intentions has received increasing attention in recent years. This paper aims to explore the factors influencing entrepreneurial attitudes and intentions of college students majoring in Social Science at public universities in Chengdu, China. A conceptual framework was established with seven potential variables, subjective norm, entrepreneurial attitude, desirability, educational support, self-efficacy, perceived behavioral control, and entrepreneurial intention. Research design, data, and methodology: The researcher distributed questionnaires to 500 undergraduates majoring in Social Science at the targeted public university. This sampling strategy is to collect data from the survey using judgmental, quota and convenience sampling. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) were used to analyze the data. In addition, model goodness-of-fit, correlation validity, and reliability tests for each factor were utilized. Results: The result demonstrated a significant effect between each potential variable, thus proving all hypotheses valid. Conclusions: Ultimately, this quantitative study concludes that public university administrators and teaching staff should strengthen the process of shaping and nurturing entrepreneurial attitudes among college students, enhancing the entrepreneurial appeal and emphasizing entrepreneurship education to improve entrepreneurial success based on the significant influence relationships between the potential variables verified in this study