Factors Affecting Teacher Acceptance of Tablets in Their Teaching Practice: A Case Study in the South African Context

Factors Affecting Teacher Acceptance of Tablets in Their Teaching Practice: A Case Study in the South African Context

Rabaitse Diseko, Thuladu Thuladu Nyamande, Anesu Gelfand Kuhudzai
Copyright: © 2022 |Pages: 20
DOI: 10.4018/IJMBL.297975
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Abstract

The present study employs the technology acceptance model to explore secondary school teachers' perceptions towards acceptance of tablet devices in their teaching practice in the classroom. A questionnaire was completed by (N=80) secondary school teachers from South Africa, and the constructs related to technology acceptance were measured along with demographic variables. Results revealed that there were no statistically significant differences in teachers' perceptions towards acceptance of tablets in their teaching practice across gender, age, and teaching experience. The findings also showed that the perceived usefulness construct has a high negative response towards the acceptance of tablets in their teaching practice. However, the findings also revealed that the perceived ease of use, attitude towards use, and behavioural intention are directly significant factors in teachers' perceptions towards accepting tablet devices in their teaching practice.
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Introduction

Over recent years, technology innovations have had unparalleled consequences for all aspects of humanity and society. Research shows that using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in education can considerably influence the development of a society with ever-changing needs (Ratheeswari, 2018; Mynaˇríková & Novotný, 2021) in terms of how to find relevant information and communicate digitally with each other (Roztocki et al., 2019). Mobile technologies and communication technologies are viewed as enablers of the new social structure, and as possessing great potential for facilitating more innovative education in the classroom (Papadakis, 2018). Thus, today’s technologies have changed the educational structure by making information easily accessible through using mobile devices with applications that support teaching and learning (Kalogiannakis & Papadakis, 2019; Criollo-C et al., 2021). Consequently, tablet devices are viewed as tools that have the potential to support teachers in the classroom context by providing effective instructional activities to engage learners effectively and, in the long run, improve their performance (Olofsson et al., 2018), as they become more active participants, gain more experience, and become motivated and autonomous (Criollo-C et al., 2021) in the learning process. The significance of the research helps teachers and researchers to understand the problem, to use theories and concepts in the process in order to acquire deeper understanding and know-how when solving existing problems (Islam & Samsudin, 2020), thus improving students’ learning. For example, in a project teaching invertebrate zoology, a mobile application was used in combination with virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) in order to create virtual environments. The project was designed in order to replace the field trips of university students. The outcomes of this project showed that students were motivated to learn, social inequalities were reduced, practices were diversified, and the disadvantaged students were accommodated. The implication of this project is that mobile learning has the potential to improve learning inside and outside the classroom context (Verdes et al., 2021).

Subsequently, the proliferation of mobile learning has become one of the more significant aspects in education with the intention to bring about a special kind of learning, supporting students in their learning process (Uther, 2019). Arguably, when students access relevant educational resources, they are also enabled to communicate with experts in the field of their studies at the same time gaining more insight and enriching their learning (García-Martínez et al., 2019). Mobile learning is not only about learning but also about leveraging individual preferences to personalise learning and develop learners’ self-sufficiency for lifelong learning (Godwin-Jones, 2018). The importance of mobile learning incorporates the capacity to facilitate the development of critical thinking, problem solving, and thinking creatively (Papadakis, 2021), as well as the ability to share knowledge without limits in space and time, and encourage collaborative learning (Abidin & Tho, 2018).

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