Teachers’ Intention to Use Digital Resources in Classroom Teaching: The Role of Teacher Competence, Peer Influence, and Perceived Image

Abstract

Objectives: Rapid advancements in information processing and technology are causing transformations in education at an unprecedented pace. The use of digital resources is becoming essential for educators to ensure the effectiveness of their teaching. There is thus a need to transform ways and means of educating teachers to meet the new challenges. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that determine teacher intention to use digital resources in classroom teaching. Method: The study adopted a single cross-sectional design, in which questionnaires with pre-established scales were completed by 276 university teachers from three major public universities in the Kashmir region of India. The collected data were subjected to descriptive, correlation, and regression analysis. Results: Findings suggest that intention to use digital resources in the classroom is significantly influenced by teachers’ perceptions of their own competence, perceived usefulness and ease of use of technology and digital resources, and peer influence. Among these factors, perceived competence exerts the strongest influence. Results indicate that perceived social image has no significant impact on intention to use digital resources. Conclusions: The study supports the view that teacher competence and peer influence are two key determining factors for the use of digital resources. Additionally, it demonstrates that digital resources must be perceived to offer potential benefits and ease of use in order to gain widespread acceptance among teachers. Implications: This research advances the understanding of digital resource adoption in classroom teaching, particularly in developing countries like India. The findings provide critical direction to policymakers and digital resource developers to enhance use of digital resources in classroom teaching by prioritizing the development of useful and user-friendly resources. Moreover, universities should organize training programs to enhance teachers’ proficiency in utilizing digital resources for effective teaching.