Rural STEM Preservice Teachers’ Acceptance of Virtual Learning

Abstract

Teaching and learning of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to preservice teachers in rural universities has always been a challenge, resulting in poor student performance. The outbreak of COVID-19 has made it exacerbated this owing to lockdown restrictions in most institutions including universities. Consequently, universities switched to virtual learning (VL), even though most of them (especially rural universities) were not ready for it. This worsened the plight of struggling rural STEM students who had to make do with this new VL. Hence, this study focussed on rural STEM preservice teachers’ acceptance of virtual learning. Prior studies have shown that adoption of a new information system depends on its acceptance by users; however, very little is known about the acceptance of VL by rural STEM preservice teachers. Based on the technology acceptance model, the study proposed and used the STEM preservice teacher acceptance virtual learning model to investigate factors that predict rural STEM preservice teachers' actual use of VL. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to analyse data from 250 valid questionnaires. The model explained 74.6% of the variance in rural STEM pre-service teachers' actual use of VL. Latent variables, facilitating conditions, attitude towards use, and perceived ease of use had a direct impact on the actual use of VL. Attitude to use also played a mediating role between actual use and predictors, perceived enjoyment, perceived social influence, computer self-efficacy, and perceived usefulness. It was concluded that rural STEM pre-service teachers embrace VL given the desperate pandemic situation.