A study on academic staff personality and technology acceptance: The case of communication and collaboration applications

Abstract

Over the recent years, the communication and collaboration based on online applications has been ubiquitous, being used in teaching, learning and research. In this context, the present study analyses the attitudes and perceptions of the teaching staff and researchers from several higher education institutions in Romania with respect to online collaboration and communication applications, and the impact these applications have on their work (teaching and research). The findings have revealed that the email is still the main communication and collaboration application in both teaching and research, but other, newer applications are not far behind. The extent to which these applications are accepted and used seem to depend directly on personal variables, the most significant ones being the technology anxiety and self-efficacy. The relationship between personality traits and the use of online communication and collaboration applications in the professional academic life has been shown to be mediated by work engagement, which enhances the teachers' personal resources, enhancing their levels of achievement. The findings have also demonstrated that the use of online communication and collaboration applications is part of the factors predicting the teachers' and researchers’ success in academic life.