Towards the integration of culture into the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology

Educational technology is increasingly used in multicultural contexts and across national cultures. Educational technology users with different national and professional backgrounds may, however, exhibit different attitudes towards technology. Previous research provides isolated evidence of the relationship between learning technology acceptance and culture, and so an overall picture is missing. Therefore, this study attempts to integrate culture (sensu Hofstede, 2001) into an established technology acceptance model (ie. the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, UTAUT, Venkatesh, Morris, Davis & Davis, 2003). Examining a large sample (N = 2866) of learning technology users from Germany and Romania by means of questionnaire survey, we investigate the differences in culture and technology acceptance between sample subgroups. The collected data reveal the presence of cultural differences both between countries and between professions. In line with previous research, these differences are associated with dissimilar acceptance profiles, ie. different values of acceptance variables and of path coefficients between them. Based on the findings, this study makes headway in cross-cultural research by proposing an extended model of UTAUT – one which integrates three of Hofstede’s culture dimensions. As a practical implication, national and professional culture may shape computer-based learning environments

The Challenges of the Mobile Technology in the Young Adult Education

AbstractFor several years, we have seen how technological advances have introduced different devices that handle digital information and, at the same time, facilitate the user's mobility. Also, the astonishing advance in communication and technology changed our day-to-day life. While some can underestimate the benefits of this new technology, there is no doubt that an increasing number of people have fully adopted it. The present paper investigates in a theoretical manner the challenges related to the use of mobile technology in adult education. Also it focuses on the characteristics of using the mobile phone in education