Influence Technology Use Research Articles

Understanding language teachers' practice with educational technology: A case from China

Abstract This article explores how eight secondary school teachers integrated educational technology into English language teaching in Beijing, China and considers their views of the factors influencing technology use. Analysing data from classroom recordings and follow-up interviews, this study revealed that PowerPoint was the most frequently used technological application in the classroom, while the internet and other technological tools were also used by the teachers. They employed educational technology for different pedagogical purposes, including addressing professional needs in improving teaching, designing materials and conducting professional development. Teachers also claimed that they used technology to address learners' needs, such as improving engagement, enhancing language acquisition, facilitating understanding and establishing a context for language use. The study identified four important factors in influencing teachers' use of technology, including sociocultural contexts, teachers' beliefs, access to resources, and technology competence and confidence. This study suggests that a critical reflective approach is useful in assisting teachers to understand their needs and pedagogical beliefs concerning technology use. Ongoing professional development is also valuable in promoting teachers' technology competence and confidence, thereby improving the use of technology in their teaching.

Teachers’ use of technology and its influencing factors in Korean elementary schools

Until now, research on technology integration in K–12 settings focused on revealing factors that influence technology use in the classroom by teachers has not paid much attention to what teachers recognise and why they incorporate technology in the classroom. Thus, this study aims to investigate how teachers recognise important factors that influence quality technology integration and how teachers use technology in Korean schools, using closed- and open-ended items and verbatim quotes of teachers’ responses to a series of open-ended questions. The results indicate that teachers’ use of technology in practice is affected by the multidimensional characteristics of schools; hence, support of technology use therein should be improved. Teachers’ aptitude, disposition and attitudes toward technology are the most important factors for ICT-related instruction. Additionally, the answers given by the cohort to the open-ended questions help to explain the specific educational context in the Republic of Korea. Teachers report using technology largely because it provides personal convenience; additionally, the use of third-party content providers’ websites by teachers emerges as a substantial issue in the area of technology integration in the classroom.

Uncovering patterns of technology use in consumer health informatics.

Internet usage and accessibility has grown at a staggering rate, influencing technology use for healthcare purposes. The amount of health information technology (Health IT) available through the Internet is immeasurable and growing daily. Health IT is now seen as a fundamental aspect of patient care as it stimulates patient engagement and encourages personal health management. It is increasingly important to understand consumer health IT patterns including who is using specific technologies, how technologies are accessed, factors associated with use, and perceived benefits. To fully uncover consumer patterns it is imperative to recognize common barriers and which groups they disproportionately affect. Finally, exploring future demand and predictions will expose significant opportunities for health IT. The most frequently used health information technologies by consumers are gathering information online, mobile health (mHealth) technologies, and personal health records (PHRs). Gathering health information online is the favored pathway for healthcare consumers as it is used by more consumers and more frequently than any other technology. In regard to mHealth technologies, minority Americans, compared with White Americans utilize social media, mobile Internet, and mobile applications more frequently. Consumers believe PHRs are the most beneficial health IT. PHR usage is increasing rapidly due to PHR integration with provider health systems and health insurance plans. Key issues that have to be explicitly addressed in health IT are privacy and security concerns, health literacy, unawareness, and usability. Privacy and security concerns are rated the number one reason for the slow rate of health IT adoption.

Robot services for elderly with cognitive impairment: Testing usability of graphical user interfaces

Socially assistive robotics for elderly care is a growing field. However, although robotics has the potential to support elderly in daily tasks by offering specific services, the development of usable interfaces is still a challenge. Since several factors such as age or disease-related changes in perceptual or cognitive abilities and familiarity with computer technologies influence technology use they must be considered when designing interfaces for these users. This paper presents findings from usability testing of two different services provided by a social assistive robot intended for elderly with cognitive impairment: a grocery shopping list and an agenda application. The main goal of this study is to identify the usability problems of the robot interface for target end-users as well as to isolate the human factors that affect the use of the technology by elderly. Socio-demographic characteristics and computer experience were examined as factors that could have an influence on task performance. A group of 11 elderly persons with Mild Cognitive Impairment and a group of 11 cognitively healthy elderly individuals took part in this study. Performance measures (task completion time and number of errors) were collected. Cognitive profile, age and computer experience were found to impact task performance. Participants with cognitive impairment achieved the tasks committing more errors than cognitively healthy elderly. Instead younger participants and those with previous computer experience were faster at completing the tasks confirming previous findings in the literature. The overall results suggested that interfaces and contents of the services assessed were usable by older adults with cognitive impairment. However, some usability problems were identified and should be addressed to better meet the needs and capacities of target end-users.

Self direction and factors influencing technology use: Examining the relationships for the 21st century workplace

Self-direction and technology use are both identified as increasingly important skills for the 21st century workforce. In an effort to define effective pedagogies for students entering the workplace, this study examines the relationship between selected factors of self-directed learning and factors influencing technology use. University seniors provided a sample representing new workforce entrants and the workplace of the immediate future. Examining self-direction using the PRO-model of self-direction and technology use through the lens of computer self-efficacy, 572 graduating seniors provided a look at their preparation for the workplace for self-direction and technology use. Results indicated a significant but very weak relationship between self-direction and technology use that accounted for less than 7% of the variance for any one factor examined. Based on these results, this study includes implications for practice as well as recommendations for future research.

Social and personal normative influences on healthcare professionals to use information technology: towards a more robust social ergonomics

Social structures and processes are increasingly acknowledged and studied within the human factors/ergonomics (HFE) discipline. At the same time, social phenomena are rarely the focus of HFE work, leaving a knowledge gap. This study directly addresses social and personal normative forces that influence technology use and performance. Social and personal normative influence to use electronic health records were investigated using semi-structured qualitative interviews with 20 attending physicians at two US hospitals. Analyses used a comprehensive framework based on leading social scientific theories and revealed numerous sources of influence, including hospital administration, colleagues, patients, clinical and professional groups, government and one's self. Influence was achieved through different means and invoked different psychological processes. Findings motivate a new view of professionals’ technology use as a highly social process occurring in a social context, with implications for research, policy, design and, in general, the development of a robust social ergonomics.

Structuring Interactions With Technology: A Social Identity Approach

This case study investigated social construction of technology from the perspective of social identity theory. Four pre-existing social categories were found to be important sources of social influence: professional, organizational, departmental, and disciplinary identities. Additionally, an emerging social category (cross-unit and cross-discipline faculty and staff committees and learning groups) influenced technology use as well. Organizational members drew on structural elements from these five sources in their social construction of an information communication technology system. Theoretical as well as practical implications were addressed with respect to technology use. The findings helped to show how social identity influenced people’s interpretations of technology and then use and non-use of technology. It is suggested that organizations make efforts to identify all possible social identities that may influence technology use and non-use.

Technology Integration in Secondary Physical Education: Teachers’ Attitudes and Practice

Technology has influenced teaching, yet we know little about physical educators’ predispositions and use. This study investigated secondary physical education teachers’ attitudes and practices regarding technology integration and relationships between attitude and practice. The data collection instrument measured teachers’ attitudes and technology use. Results suggest that teachers had positive attitudes, yet a limited use of technology. Teachers reported a number of barriers influencing technology use including budget, class size, and training. All attitude factors correlated with technology use. Physical educators may be willing to apply technology for teaching if given opportunities to prepare, practice and utilize appropriate resources.

A Case Study of the Adoption and Use of Information Systems Technology in a Business-Format Franchise

This research identifies factors that influence technology use and adoption within the context of a growing international commercial and residential moving franchise system. This mixed method study explores differences in attitudes and expectations about technology between the franchisor and its franchisees. Franchise systems are different than other small or medium sized businesses because there are many individuals running their own relatively small business, yet they are still part of a larger whole. Running a successful business requires time, and individual franchisees tend to be more interested in spending that time on their day-to-day operation rather on addressing the information needs of the franchisor. As a result, franchisors often feel that the technologies they offer to facilitate information sharing are underutilized. A set of recommendations is provided for maximizing franchisees’ acceptance and usage of the technologies.

How Individual Differences Influence Technology Usage Behavior? Toward an Integrated Framework

Previous studies suggest that individual differences have main effects on technology use and that they also interact with perceptions about technologies to influence technology use. However, few studies examine both effects simultaneously and thus prior research offers only a partial glimpse of the whole picture. The purpose of this study is to incorporate individual differences into TAM and examine the two effects simultaneously. Online survey method was used to collect data. Results from quantitative analyses indicate that individual differences may influence technology use directly or indirectly via perceptions and that they may also moderate the relationships between perceptions and technology use. Based on the findings, we proposed an integrated framework, which suggests that individual differences influence technology use in multiple ways. Such a framework offers a comprehensive understanding of how individual differences influence technology use and thus provides a foundation on which research models can be theorized and empirically validated.

Gender and Use of Instructional Technologies: A Study of University Faculty.

Instructional technologies have the potential to help highereducation faculty address increasing demands on their time and energy. Thisstudy investigated technology use by faculty at medium-sized, publicuniversity in the midwestern United States. Because a number of studies haveshown gender differences in technology use, survey data were analyzed alonggender lines. Results showed that males rated their knowledge and experiencewith some innovative technologies higher than did females. For frequency ofuse, no significant differences were found, with the exception of video,where females indicated slightly more frequent use. Both rated technologiesas important to instruction. For factors influencing technology use, femalesrated time to learn a technology, increased student learning, ease of use,training, and available information in discipline as more important than didmales. Such incentives as release time, merit pay, contribution to promotionand tenure, monetary rewards, and recognition by the university were ratedmore important by women, as were the barriers of lack of time and lack ofcontribution to professional advancement. These findings suggest that genderdifferences in technology use by university faculty may exist and need to beaddressed.