The role of basic psychological needs satisfaction (BPNS) during the initial use of online teaching platforms on faculty members’ continuance intention

Abstract

PurposeBased on self-determination theory (SDT), this study aims to investigate the motivational antecedents of faculty members’ continuance intention of using online teaching platforms. For this purpose, we introduced a model incorporating basic psychological needs satisfaction (BPNS) and different motivational mechanisms.Design/methodology/approachUsing a survey study of 312 faculty members, we examined the model by structural equation modeling (SEM).FindingsThe SEM results revealed a positive correlation between BPNS and continuance intention. Additionally, we illustrate the importance of different types of extrinsic motivation. By presenting an alternative model, we demonstrate that the initial-use-identified regulation (one type of extrinsic motivation) has an association with continuance intention (CI). However, this association loses significance if BPNS is present within the model. Moreover, we determined that there is no significant relationship between initial-use external regulation (another type of extrinsic motivation) and faculty members' CI for online teaching. Lastly, the results revealed that pre-use amotivation and intrinsic motivation impact CI through initial-use BPNS.Research limitations/implicationsThe results suggest that decision-makers at educational institutions should consider that extrinsic motivation has different types with different impacts and that BPNS has a vital role in faculty members’ intention to continue using online teaching platforms.Originality/valueThis study is novel because it reveals some details of extrinsic motivation effects by offering a model that combines BPNS and different types of motivation in two stages. It is important and rare that we concentrate on the almost neglected issue of faculty members’ motivational perspectives in online teaching, while the literature mainly focuses on students’ perspectives.