The theory of planned behaviours (TPB) and pre-service teachers' technology acceptance : a validation study using structural equation modeling

This study applies the theory of planned behavior (TPB), a theory that is commonly used in commercial settings, to the educational context to explain pre-service teachers' technology acceptance. It is also interested in examining its validity when used for this purpose. It has found evidence that the TPB is a valid model to explain pre-service teachers' acceptance of technology, specifically in terms of their behavioral intention to use technology. Two hundred and ninety-three participants completed a questionnaire measuring their responses to four constructs from the TPB, namely behavioral intention, attitudes towards computer use, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used as the main method for data analysis. The results showed that attitude towards computer use had the largest effect on pre-service teachers' intention to use technology, followed by perceived behavioral control, and subjective norm. The findings presented in this paper purport to contribute to the growing interest in using information sciences models to explain technology acceptance in the educational context.