A modified TAM for predicting acceptance of digital educational games by teachers

Abstract

The use of digital games in education is growing. Digital games with their elements of ‘play’ and ‘challenge’ are increasingly viewed as a successful medium for engaging and motivating students, in situations where students may be uninterested or distant. One such situation is mathematics education in Nigeria where young people in schools can be unenthusiastic about the subject. The introduction of digital educational games is being trialed to see if it can address this issue. A key element for ensuring the success of the introduction of new technologies is that the users are prepared and ready to accept the technology. This also applies to the introduction of digital educational games in the classroom. Technology Acceptance Models (TAMs) have been widely employed to explore users' attitudes to technology and to highlight their main concerns and issues. The aim of this study is to investigate if a modified TAM can be successfully developed and deployed to explore teachers' attitudes to the introduction of digital educational games in their classroom. The study employs a mixed methods approach and combines the outcomes from previous research studies with data gathered from interviews with teachers to develop the modified TAM. This approach of combining the results from previous studies together with interviews from the targeted group enabled the key variables/constructs to be identified. Independent evaluation by a group of experts gave further confidence in the model. The results have shown that this modified TAM is a useful instrument for exploring the attitude of teachers to using digital games for learning and teaching, and highlighting the key areas which require support and input to ensure teachers are ready to accept and use this technology in their classroom practice.