Predicting students’ intention to continue business courses on online platforms during the Covid-19: An extended expectation confirmation theory

Abstract

The objective of this study was to analyze the intention of a University's business department students to continue their studies on e-learning platforms during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, a questionnaire was developed to collect primary data from students in business fields. The study took into account more than 285 respondents from two different universities and relied on the expectation confirmation model (ECM) theory and the structural equation model. The partial least squares (SEM-PLS) method was used to analyze the data. The results of the study showed that task skills (TS) and task challenges (TC) were significant for the enjoyment (EN) of the students which in turn had a positive effect on the satisfaction levels. Confirmation (CON) had an impact on the post adoption perceived usefulness (PAPU), which was deemed positive for student satisfaction (SAT). The SAT and psychological safety (PS) of online learning platforms were found to positively influence the continuance intention (CI) on e-learning platforms. Finally, both SAT and PS of online learning platforms were observed to positively influence CI on e-learning platforms. Further research in this area could be useful in making decisions about promoting educational programs based on e-learning. The researchers recommend that academicians and policymakers must ensure appropriate arrangements for teaching on e-learning platforms.