Examining Chinese EFL learners’ acceptance of mobile-assisted vocabulary learning applications and its influencing factors

Abstract

Abstract Significant advancements in mobile technology have offered tremendous potential for mobile-assisted vocabulary learning (MAVL). Given the relatively few studies on learners’ acceptance of MAVL, this study integrates the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) with the Self-Determination Theory to assess participants’ acceptance and motivation levels regarding MAVL applications and to identify predictors of users’ intention to utilise these applications. Questionnaire data from 270 Chinese English as a foreign language university students revealed that the participants exhibited a strong intention to learn English vocabulary via mobile applications, and they reported high levels of motivation. Additionally, structural equation modelling analysis results indicated that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and perceived competence accounted for 61 % of the variance in users’ behavioural intention to use MAVL applications, which demonstrated a stronger explanatory power than the original TAM. Perceived autonomy and perceived competence, however, failed to predict usage intention of MAVL. The proposed theoretical framework extends the original TAM and offers implications for application developers, suggesting the importance of designing user-friendly applications.