Incorporating a Training Construct into the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology

176 Pages·2017·4.73 MB·English

by  Matthew E. Harris

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All Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies
5-2016
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Matthew E. Harris
Utah State University
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INCORPORATING A TRAINING CONSTRUCT INTO THE UNIFIED

THEORY OF ACCEPTANCE AND USE OF TECHNOLOGY

by

Matthew E. Harris

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree

of

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

in

Education
(Management Information Systems)

Approved:

Robert J. Mills, Ph.D. John D. Johnson, Ph.D.
Major Professor Committee Member

Christopher Fawson, Ph.D. Jeffrey J. Johnson, Ph.D.
Committee Member Committee Member

David H. Olsen, Ph.D. Mark McLellan, Ph.D.
Committee Member Vice President for Research and
Dean of the School of Graduate Studies

UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY
Logan, Utah

2016
ii
Copyright © Matthew E. Harris 2016

All Rights Reserved
iii
ABSTRACT

Incorporating a Training Construct into the Unified Theory of Acceptance and

Use of Technology

by

Matthew E. Harris, Doctor of Philosophy

Utah State University, 2016

Major Professor: Robert Mills, Ph.D.
Department: Education

The purpose of this study was to identify and examine existing technology
acceptance constructs as they relate to end-user participation in training programs. By
analyzing technology acceptance constructs and their fit with existing training paradigms,
it was expected that there would be a significant increase in use behavior as defined in the
Unified Theory of Technology Acceptance and Use (UTAUT) model. An extended
model that describes the links between the training paradigms and existing technology
acceptance constructs as found in the UTAUT was then introduced and tested to see if the
model could be improved by adding a training reactions construct.
Online pre and post training surveys were received from 111 students who
participated in face-to-face training on structured query language (SQL) during spring
2014 and 2015 semesters. Survey questions were created from previously validated
technology acceptance and training studies. From these responses, the basic structure of
iv
the original UTAUT model was partially confirmed.
The first conclusion drawn from this study was that training reactions (TR)
significantly impact behavioral intention to use (BIU) information technology and was
positively correlated, suggesting when TR increased, BIU also increased. The second
conclusion drawn from this study was that the relationship between TR and BIU
information technology was not fully mediated by facilitating conditions (FC), but was
partially mediated by it. The third conclusion drawn from this study was that from the
original UTAUT model, only performance expectancy (PE) was found to be a significant
predictor of BIU information technology. Effort expectancy (EE), social influences (SI),
and facilitating conditions (FC) were not found to be significant. Also, neither gender nor
computer experience moderated any of the independent variables from the original
UTAUT model. The fourth conclusion drawn from this study was neither gender, nor
computer experience (Exp) moderated TR in predicting BIU.
(175 pages)
v
PUBLIC ABSTRACT

Incorporating a Training Construct into the Unified Theory of Acceptance and

Use of Technology

Matthew E. Harris

The purpose of this study was to determine if a prominent theoretical model, the
Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), which is used to
predict the likelihood that users would adopt a given technology, could be improved by
adding a training reactions component as outlined in prominent training theory.
Online pre- and post-training surveys were received from 111 students who
participated in face-to-face training on Structured Query Language (SQL) during spring
2014 and 2015 semesters. Survey questions were created from previously validated
technology acceptance and training studies. From these responses, the basic structure of
the original UTAUT model was partially confirmed.
The conclusions drawn from this study were that users’ training reactions both
before and after receiving training significantly impacted their intention to use
information technology. The study indicates that as training reactions increase, users’
intentions to use the technology increases as well. Interestingly, when the original
UTAUT model was evaluated, only the expectation that it would improve their on-the-
job performance was found to be a significant predictor of their intention to use the
information technology. The amount effort required to learn the technology, social
influence from those important to the user, and other miscellaneous supporting resources
vi
did not significantly impact their intention to use the information technology. Finally,
neither gender nor computer experience had a significant impact on any of the predicting
variables from the original UTAUT model nor did they have an impact on training
reactions.
vii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to express tremendous gratitude for my chair, Dr. Robert Mills, for
his patience, support, and when needed, prodding, through this entire process. His
willingness to take over as my committee chair and provide his feedback, motivation, and
direction were a lifesaver. Without his efforts in my behalf, the completion of this project
would never have been possible.
The members of my committee, Dr. Jeffrey Johnson, Dr. John Johnson, Dr. David
Olsen, and Dr. Christopher Fawson, were exceptional. Their feedback, questions, and
efforts to help me complete this process are so appreciated. Additionally, much
appreciation goes to Dr. Jean Pratt, who started out as my committee chair before moving
on to other pursuits. She is the one who got me started on this path to earning my Ph.D.
and provided great direction in the early stages of my program.
Special thanks goes to my parents, Ed and Marj Harris, for their advice, services
as editors, and especially for the gracious use of their home and cabin at Bear Lake. They
know how much being near the water inspires me and rejuvenates me. It was the perfect
place to escape the many distractions that always seemed to grab my attention.
Most important of all, I can never repay the patience, love, and support over these
many years from my wife, Joleen. She was the one who bore the brunt of the long days
and nights and was often left to be the single mom of our children during this process.
Her constant encouragement, prayers, and sacrifices have earned her the highest honors
available. Last, but certainly not least, my children, Austin, Shayla, Alexa, Ashlee,
Nathan, and Joshua, kept life fun and motivated me to keep going when things got rough.
Matthew E. Harris
viii
CONTENTS

Page

ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................... iii

PUBLIC ABSTRACT ................................................................................................... v

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................. vii

LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................... x

LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................... xiii

CHAPTER

I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 1

Statement of the Problem ................................................................................... 4
Purpose of the Study .......................................................................................... 5
Scope of the Study ............................................................................................. 7

II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ......................................................... 8

Search Techniques ............................................................................................. 8
Information Technology Implementation Risks ................................................ 11
Tools to Mitigate Information Technology Implementation Risk ..................... 12
The Technology Acceptance Model .................................................................. 13
Need for Supplemental Theories ....................................................................... 14
The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology ............................. 17
Training as a Construct ...................................................................................... 20
Extending Technology Acceptance Model with Training ................................. 21
The Proposed Model: An Extension of UTAUT ............................................... 23
Instructional Design ........................................................................................... 24

III. METHODS AND PROCEDURES ................................................................... 27

Population and Sample ...................................................................................... 27
Instrumentation and Data Collection ................................................................. 27
Statistical Analysis Techniques ......................................................................... 30
Pilot Studies ....................................................................................................... 37
ix
Page

IV. FINDINGS ......................................................................................................... 40

Demographic Information and Descriptive Statistics ........................................ 40
Analysis of Survey Questions ............................................................................ 41
Means and Standard Deviations ......................................................................... 51
Measurement Model .......................................................................................... 53
Structural Model ................................................................................................ 58
Analysis of Research Questions......................................................................... 62

V. DISCUSSION, SUMMARY, AND CONCLUSIONS ...................................... 82

Discussion .......................................................................................................... 82
Summary ............................................................................................................ 85
Conclusions and Recommendations .................................................................. 96

REFERENCES .............................................................................................................. 99

APPENDICES ............................................................................................................... 106

Appendix A: TAM Studies Methodological Detail ......................................... 107
Appendix B: Frequency of Relations .............................................................. 110
Appendix C: Summary of Research Findings ................................................. 112
Appendix D: Pre-Training Survey ................................................................... 115
Appendix E: Post-Training Survey ................................................................. 119
Appendix F: Summary of Pre- and Post-Training Changes ........................... 123
Appendix G: Chain of Evidence ...................................................................... 128
Appendix H: Letters of Permission to Reprint Material .................................. 131

CURRICULUM VITAE ................................................................................................ 156