Teacher adoption of technology

Technology adoption is usually modeled as a process with dynamic transitions between costs and benefits. Nevertheless, school teachers do not generally make effective use of technology in their teaching. This article describes a study designed to exhibit the interplay between two variables: the type of technology, in terms of its complexity of use, and the type of teacher, in terms of attitude towards innovation. The results from this study include: (a) elaboration of a characteristic teacher technology adoption process, based on an existing learning curve for new technology proposed for software development; and (b) presentation of exit points during the technology adoption process. This paper concludes that teachers who are early technology adopters and commit a significant portion of their time to incorporating educational technology into their teaching are more likely to adopt new technology, regardless of its complexity. However, teachers who are not early technology adopters and commit a small portion of their time to integrating educational technology are less likely to adopt new technology and are prone to abandoning the adoption at identified points in the process.     

Household technology adoption in a global marketplace: Incorporating the role of espoused cultural values

This paper extends prior research in household technology adoption by incorporating the role of espoused cultural values. Specifically, we theorize that espoused cultural values–individualism/collectivism, masculinity/femininity, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and long-term orientation—play an important role in affecting consumers’ behaviors by altering consumers’ belief structures—attitudinal beliefs, normative beliefs, and control beliefs. Our theoretical model predicts that the impact of consumers’ belief structures on household technology adoption intention varies across consumers with different cultural values. Propositions are provided to explain how different cultural mechanisms moderate the relationships between consumers’ beliefs and household technology adoption intention. The paper concludes with theoretical implications, future research directions, and practical implications.

Scientific workflows: Past,present and future

This special issue and our editorial celebrate 10 years of progress with data-intensive or scientific workflows. There have been very substantial advances in the representation of workflows and in the engineering of workflow management systems (WMS). The creation and refinement stages are now well supported, with a significant improvement in usability. Improved abstraction supports cross-fertilisation between different workflow communities and consistent interpretation as WMS evolve. Through such re-engineering the WMS deliver much improved performance, significantly increased scale and sophisticated reliability mechanisms. Further improvement is anticipated from substantial advances in optimisation. We invited papers from those who have delivered these advances and selected 14 to represent today’s achievements and representative plans for future progress. This editorial introduces those contributions with an overview and categorisation of the papers. Furthermore, it elucidates responses from a survey of major workflow systems, which provides evidence of substantial progress and a structured index of related papers. We conclude with suggestions on areas where further research and development is needed and offer a vision of future research directions.     

A mutation carol: Past, present and future

Context

The field of mutation analysis has been growing, both in the number of published papers and the number of active researchers. This special issue provides a sampling of recent advances and ideas. But do all the new researchers know where we started?

Objective

To imagine where we are going, we must first know where we are. To understand where we are, we must know where we have been. This paper reviews past mutation analysis research, considers the present, then imagines possible future directions.

Method

A retrospective study of past trends lets us the ability to see the current state of mutation research in a clear context, allowing us to imagine and then create future vectors.

Results

The value of mutation has greatly expanded since the early view of mutation as an expensive way to unit test subroutines. Our understanding of what mutation is and how it can help has become much deeper and broader.

Conclusion

Mutation analysis has been around for 35 years, but we are just now beginning to see its full potential. The papers in this issue and future mutation workshops will eventually allow us to realize this potential.     

Culture, gender and information technology use: A comparison of Chinese and US children

This research addressed four basic questions about culture, gender and information technology (IT) use. First, are there differences between Chinese and US children in their computer and Internet use? Second, are there differences between Chinese and US children in their use of other technologies, namely, videogames and cell phones? Third, does gender moderate the influence of culture on the use of computers, the Internet and other technologies? Fourth, are there differences among subcultural groups within cultures in their IT use? Using samples of 600 Chinese and 600 US children whose average age was 12 years old, findings indicated cultural and gender differences in technology use as well as interactions between the two. US children used computers and the Internet more than did Chinese children, with Chinese females being the least intense users. Males played videogames more than did females, with US males playing more than did Chinese males. US females lead all other groups in cell phone use, whereas Chinese females were least likely to use them. Racial and ethnic group differences indicate that diversity within cultural groups among subcultures must be considered in understanding children’s IT use. Implications of cultural, gender and subcultural group differences in technology use for equity in access to technology and educational interventions for children in the use of technology are discussed.     

Rail human factors: Past, present and future

Rail human factors research has grown rapidly in both quantity and quality of output over the past few years. There was an early base of work at a few institutions carried out over the 1960s and 1970s, followed by a lull in the 1980s and early 1990s. The continual influences of safety concerns, new technical system opportunities, reorganisation of the business, needs to increase effective, reliable and safe use of capacity, and increased society, media and government interest have now accelerated rail human factors research programmes in several countries. In this paper we review the literature on rail human factors research, covering driving, signalling and control, maintenance, reporting systems, passenger interests, planning and technical systems change. Current major rail human factors programmes are summarised and future research needs proposed. It is asserted that general human factors models and methods are being re-assessed, and new ones developed, to meet the requirements of the railways.     

Automation of the elispot technique: Past, present, and future

The Elispot technique has gained much attention over the past few years. Its outstanding sensitivity and general ease of performance has made it one of the most attractive assay candidates for immunomonitoring purposes, including vaccine development and vaccine trials in various phases, diagnostics, and basic research. The demands of the market call for a simplified and automated technique in order to enhance areas of use. This paper describes past and present developments addressing the automation and standardization demands for the Elispot and indirectly connected techniques.     

The impact of forced use on customer adoption of self-service technologies

Drawing upon researches in marketing and psychology, the present investigation examines empirically the intermediate psychological process that would explain how and why forced use affects satisfaction and behavioral intentions with self-service technologies. A non-internet self-service technology setting serviced as the study context. This study tested the research model and relevant hypotheses with survey responses collected from 290 users of self-service technology in China. Results indicate that technology anxiety and technology trust are the two intermediate psychological constructs through which forced use affects satisfaction and behavioral intentions with self-service technologies. This paper sheds some additional light on the relationship among forced use, technology anxiety, technology trust, customer satisfaction, and behavioral intentions in self-service technology setting.     

Investigating mobile wireless technology adoption: An extension of the technology acceptance model

This research represents a theoretical extension of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), which IS researchers have used to explain technologies’ perceived usefulness and individuals intention to use it. The authors developed a model, referred to as the Mobile Wireless Technology Acceptance Model (MWTAM), to test the relationship between theoretical constructs spanning technological influence processes (Perceived Ubiquity, and Perceived Reachability) and cognitive influence processes (Job Relevance, Perceived Usefulness, and Perceived Ease of Use) and their impact on Behavioral Intention. MWTAM is assessed using data collected from an online survey and analyzed using AMOS 5.0. Results provide evidence to support MWTAM as both the technological and cognitive influence processes accounted for 58.7% of the variance explained in an individual’s Behavioral Intention toward using mobile wireless technology. Additionally, the path coefficients between constructs ranged from 0.241 to 0.572 providing further evidence to support the theoretical extension of TAM.

Information technology use and creativity: Findings from the Children and Technology Project

This research examined relationships between children’s information technology (IT) use and their creativity. Four types of information technology were considered: computer use, Internet use, videogame playing and cell phone use. A multidimensional measure of creativity was developed based on  and  test of creative thinking. Participants were 491 12-year olds; 53% were female, 34% were African American and 66% were Caucasian American. Results indicated that videogame playing predicted of all measures of creativity. Regardless of gender or race, greater videogame playing was associated with greater creativity. Type of videogame (e.g., violent, interpersonal) was unrelated to videogame effects on creativity. Gender but not race differences were obtained in the amount and type of videogame playing, but not in creativity. Implications of the findings for future research to test the causal relationship between videogame playing and creativity and to identify mediator and moderator variables are discussed.     

Self-concept,self-esteem,gender, race and information technology use

This research addressed two fundamental questions regarding self-concept, self-esteem, gender, race and information technology use. First, is technology use related to dimensions of self-concept and/or to self-esteem? Second, are there gender and/or race differences in self-concept, self-esteem and technology use? Approximately 500 youth, average age 12 years old, one-third of whom were African American and the remaining two-thirds were Caucasian American, completed multidimensional measures of self-concept, the Rosenberg (1965) self-esteem scale and measures of frequency of Internet use, Internet use for communication (email and instant messaging), videogame playing and cell phone use. Findings indicated that technology use predicted dimensions of selfconcept and self-esteem, with videogame playing having a negative influence, and Internet use having a positive influence on self-concept dimensions. Gender differences were observed on several self-concept dimensions but contrary to expectations not on the social self-concept dimension. Only one race difference was observed and this was in behavioral self-concept. Implications of the benefits and liabilities of youth’s current and future technology use are discussed.     

Information technology adoption and continuance: A longitudinal study of individuals’ behavioral intentions

Extant research on information technology (IT) adoption and continuance has not adequately modeled the times of adoption by individuals. This study argues that individuals adopt an innovation at different times and are likely to be influenced by different factors over time. The theoretical models are empirically validated using data gathered at three points in time through surveys of 132 users of a new innovation. The results indicate that the innovation attributes and individual characteristics influence individuals’ intentions to adopt the innovation during the early stage, and the innovation attributes and contextual factors impact the individuals’ intentions during the later stage.     

Web-enabled wireless technology: an exploratory study of adoption and continued use intentions

This study builds upon previous research by comparing and contrasting the decision to adopt wireless technologies with the decision to continue to use wireless technologies. In the context of web-enabled cell phones, we propose, test and compare the predictive ability of two value-based models using a multi-group analysis. The findings suggest that regardless of whether an individual was choosing to adopt or continue to use a web-enabled cell phone, perceived usefulness, enjoyment and perceived fee influenced perceived value. In turn, perceived value influenced the adoption or continued use decision. Technicality had a significant negative effect on perceived value in the context of continued use, but not for adoption. Our results also suggested a shift in the importance of benefits in the formation of perceived value; perceived usefulness played a greater role for adopters, while enjoyment played a better role for continued users. Lastly, our results indicated that uncertainty avoidance did not mediate the relationship between perceived value and intention in either the continued use or adoption contexts, while habit was significant in its mediation of the relationship between perceived value and continued use intention. Collectively, habit and perceived value explained 71% of the variation in continued use intention.     

Past, present and future of mobile payments research: A literature review

The mobile payment services markets are currently under transition with a history of numerous tried and failed solutions, and a future of promising but yet uncertain possibilities with potential new technology innovations. At this point of the development, we take a look at the current state of the mobile payment services market from a literature review perspective. We review prior literature on mobile payments, analyze the various factors that impact mobile payment services markets, and suggest directions for future research in this still emerging field. To facilitate the analysis of literature, we propose a framework of four contingency and five competitive force factors, and organize the mobile payment research under the proposed framework. Consumer perspective of mobile payments as well as technical security and trust are best covered by contemporary research. The impacts of social and cultural factors on mobile payments, as well as comparisons between mobile and traditional payment services are entirely uninvestigated issues. Most of the factors outlined by the framework have been addressed by exploratory and early phase studies.     

Mobile payment: Understanding the determinants of customer adoption and intention to recommend the technology

Mobile payment is receiving growing attention globally, from consumers to merchants, as an alternative to using cash, check, or credit cards. The potential of this technology is enormous. This study aims to identify the main determinants of mobile payment adoption and the intention to recommend this technology. We advance the body of knowledge on this subject by proposing an innovative research model that combines the strengths of two well-known theories; the extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2) with the innovation characteristics of the diffusion of innovations (DOI), with perceived security and intention to recommend the technology constructs. The research model was empirically tested using 301 responses from an online survey conducted in a European country, Portugal. Data was analyzed using the structured equation modeling (SEM). We found compatibility, perceived technology security, performance expectations, innovativeness, and social influence to have significant direct and indirect effects over the adoption of mobile payment and the intention to recommend this technology. The relevance of customer's intention to recommend mobile payment technology in social networks and other means of communication was also confirmed, supporting the recommendation to include it in social marketing campaigns and in future technology adoption studies. For researchers this study provides a basis for further refinement of individual models of acceptance. For practitioners, understanding the key constructs is crucial to design, refine, and implement mobile payment services, applications, and products that achieve high consumer acceptance, value, and high rates of positive recommendations in social networks.     

Self direction and factors influencing technology use: Examining the relationships for the 21st century workplace

Self-direction and technology use are both identified as increasingly important skills for the 21st century workforce. In an effort to define effective pedagogies for students entering the workplace, this study examines the relationship between selected factors of self-directed learning and factors influencing technology use. University seniors provided a sample representing new workforce entrants and the workplace of the immediate future. Examining self-direction using the PRO-model of self-direction and technology use through the lens of computer self-efficacy, 572 graduating seniors provided a look at their preparation for the workplace for self-direction and technology use. Results indicated a significant but very weak relationship between self-direction and technology use that accounted for less than 7% of the variance for any one factor examined. Based on these results, this study includes implications for practice as well as recommendations for future research.     

Teacher beliefs and technology integration practices: A critical relationship

Early studies indicated that teachers’ enacted beliefs, particularly in terms of classroom technology practices, often did not align with their espoused beliefs. Researchers concluded this was due, at least in part, to a variety of external barriers that prevented teachers from using technology in ways that aligned more closely with their beliefs. However, many of these barriers (access, support, etc.) have since been eliminated in the majority of schools. This multiple case-study research was designed to revisit the question, “How do the pedagogical beliefs and classroom technology practices of teachers, recognized for their technology uses, align?”