Understanding Continuance of Using VoIP Applications to Improve Intercultural Communication

Abstract

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a cost-effective medium to help learners improve their intercultural communication competency. However, the proliferation of VoIP applications has not accelerated the mass adoption of VoIP technology by users for the purposes of intercultural communication training. This study investigates the possibility of using VoIP technology as a learning tool to educate and train individuals to improve their intercultural communication. The perspectives of information and system qualities are adopted to investigate how to enhance users’ satisfaction and intention to reuse a VoIP technology for intercultural communication competencies. Information quality, system quality, and perceived task technology fit are important predictors of satisfaction. Satisfied users are more likely to continue using a VoIP technology. To test the authors’ expectations, 93 American and 45 Taiwanese subjects participated in a four-week experiment to virtually converse with each other via a VoIP technology (i.e., Skype). After working together one-on-one to communicate, participants completed a survey, resulting in 116 valid data points for analysis. The authors’ findings provide grounds for theoretical and practical implications concerning the adoption of VoIP technology by users as an e-learning tool.