Students’ Intentions to Use Distance Education Platforms: An Investigation into Expanding the Technology Acceptance Model through Social Cognitive Theory

Abstract

The current study aims to investigate the crucial factors that influence the behavioral intentions of students to use distance education platforms (DEPs). The tested Davis Expanded Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was applied with Bandura’s social cognitive theory (SCT). This study included 453 university students using DEPs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A quantitative approach was adopted, and the results revealed that both perceived ease of use and usefulness have a strong influence on student intentions to use DEPs. Observational learning and computer self-efficacy also strongly influence perceived ease of use, and learner control with scaffolding was shown to significantly influence perceived usefulness. Moreover, the results confirmed the significant effect of perceived ease of use on perceived usefulness. Accordingly, the results provide valid support for an integrated framework including both TAM and SCT to understand how students may accept DEPs to improve their educational performance. This integration would help the decision-makers who are responsible for managing these platforms to assess the real needs of students at all higher education institutions.