General Studies Teachers’ Acceptance of Technology Use in the Classroom Within UAE Higher-Education

Abstract

This study examined the beliefs of forty-four General Studies teachers through their acceptance and use of technology at a higher-education institute within the UAE. The data was collected via a questionnaire based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTUAT) developed by Venkatesh et al. (MIS Quarterly 27:425–478, Venkatesh et al., .MIS Quarterly 27:425–478, 2003). As current educational polices within the United Arab Emirates (Ministry of Education in Ministry of education strategic plan 2017–2021. Ministry of Education, U.A.E Ministry Of Education, U. A. E. (2016). Ministry of education strategic plan 2017–2021. Ministry of Education, U.A.E.) recommend an incorporation of technology into the teaching and learning environment, it is important to identify potential issues concerning its implementation. This research was conducted on the understanding that in order for a proposed reform to be enacted effectively, teachers’ beliefs must align with those of their social context. Furthermore, it is stated that teachers’ beliefs are considered a key determinant of their practices. The results indicate that the teachers’ beliefs, their intentions, and practices align with those of policy. However, the social influence upon their implementation of technology was reported as the least significant determinate of their intentions and behaviour. Additionally, some teachers’ reported feelings of anxiety towards using technology, indicating a potential barrier to its integration into the classroom.KeywordsTeacher cognitionEducational technologyUTAUTTechnology acceptance