Abstract
<p>The objective of this study is to examine factors influencing e-learning adoption and the moderating role of gender. This study extends the technology acceptance model (TAM) by adding attitude and social interaction. The new construct of social interaction is applied to the South American context. Gender effects on e-learning adoption from educators’ perspectives have seldom been explored. The data collection takes place in three major Brazilian universities. In total, 446 faculty members responded to the questionnaire. Our structural equation modeling reveals that ease of use and perceived usefulness are significant antecedents of attitude, which in turn affects intention. However, unlike the original TAM, perceived usefulness is not a direct driver of intention. In terms of moderation, gender affects three relationships: (1) ease of use –› perceived usefulness; (2) perceived usefulness –› attitude, and (3) intention –› actual behavior. The analysis is carried out in a single country; thus, caution should be taken in generalization of the results. The findings will help academics, educators, and policy makers to better understand the mechanism of e-learning adoption in Brazil. <br /><br /></p><p> </p>
Highlights
The purpose of this article is to extend our knowledge on e-learning in three ways
This study extends technology acceptance model (TAM) through the addition of attitude and social interaction and examines e-learning adoption in Brazil
Our findings suggest that the extended TAM fits our data fairly well, but the relationship between perceived usefulness and intention was negligible
Summary
The purpose of this article is to extend our knowledge on e-learning in three ways. First, this study broadens one of the most widely used behavioral models, technology acceptance model (TAM). Gender effects in new technology acceptance in a TAM context have been explored in information systems literature (e.g., Carr, 2005; Venkatesh & Morris, 2000), but the moderating role of gender in open and/or distance learning is still an understudied topic (Ong & Lai, 2006). Our review of literature on e-learning found three studies that examine computer adoption in Brazilian elementary schools (D’Assumpção-Castro & Alves, 2007; Fidalgo-Neto et al, 2009; Martins, Steil, & Todesco, 2004), while no research has been published on Brazilian university distance learning adoption. While the mere scarcity of published research may not necessarily make it worth investigating, we believe that both theoretical (TAM and gender) and practical (emerging market) justifications would justify the scholarly value, and grant this research a unique position in the literature
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