Family Educators’ Technology Use and Factors Influencing Technology Acceptance Attitudes

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine family educators’ use of information and communication technology and factors that predict attitudes favorable to the adoption of technology in practice. Data were obtained from 210 family educators in the United States. Structural equation modeling tested the validity of an adapted Technology Acceptance Model to predict influences on attitudes. Descriptive statistics showed that Internet searching and cell phones were predominantly used both at work and for personal use while social media such as Facebook was used far less for work. Family educators’ attitudes toward technology use were directly related to perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness of technology, and subjective norms. Perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness mediated the influence of facilitating conditions (availability of training and assistance) and subjective norms, respectively, on attitudes. Suggestions for research and to support technology integration for family educators are offered.

Consumer Differences in the United States and India on Wearable Trackers

“…The result is also similar to previous research which shows that perceived usefulness positively affects attitude toward technologies (Masrom, 2007;Page, 2015;Walker & Kim, 2015). Perceived usefulness (ID) of wearable trackers positively affected attitude toward using (D) wearable trackers (b = .518, p ≤ .001, R 2 -adjusted = 0.436).…”

“…This result is similar to other studies on technology acceptance attitudes (Masrom, 2007;Page, 2015;Walker & Kim, 2015). The perceived ease of using (ID) wearable trackers (b = .453, p ≤ .001, R 2 -adjusted = 0.436) positively affected attitude toward using (D) the wearable trackers.…”

Workplace Predictors of Parenting Educators’ Technology Acceptance Attitudes

“…An adaptation to the model considers external influences on technology attitudes and use such as the availability and quality of training that could affect the perception of comfort with technology or being surrounded by peers whose assessment could affect the perception of the usefulness of the technology. Walker and Kim () utilized an adapted TAM (Teo, Lee, & Chai, ) with a national sample of nonformal family educators and concluded that facilitating conditions and subjective norms indirectly influenced technology attitudes. Walker and Kim () found that subjective norms influenced attitudes as mediated by Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PE) and that facilitating conditions influenced attitudes mediated by Perceived Ease of Use (PE).…”

“…Walker and Kim () utilized an adapted TAM (Teo, Lee, & Chai, ) with a national sample of nonformal family educators and concluded that facilitating conditions and subjective norms indirectly influenced technology attitudes. Walker and Kim () found that subjective norms influenced attitudes as mediated by Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PE) and that facilitating conditions influenced attitudes mediated by Perceived Ease of Use (PE). Their study suggested that training and assistance viewed as relevant to family education practice, and the exposure to peers who were supportive of technology use positively influenced the attitudes of the professional.…”

“…Walker and Kim's () study utilized relatively nonspecific measures to explain the nature of the external conditions. Because the focus of this study is education professionals who work in community‐based settings, it is not clear whether and which workplace‐specific supports or barriers play a role in family educators’ Technology Acceptance.…”