2 Factors That Influence The Adoption of Technology

2 Factors That Influence The Adoption of Technology

In education, there are many possible factors that influence the adoption rate of technology. Whether it be related to financial constraints, inaccessibility, or the lack of initial and continued technical support, many institutions struggle to gain and maintain new technologies in the classroom.

So, when presented with a new technology, how may a learner or educator decipher if the technology is worth their while or not? First, they may consider the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM).

Technology Acceptance Model

The TAM was first introduced by Fred Davis and Richard Bagozzi in 1989 (Phan & Daim, 2011). This model adopts two notions: Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU) (Phan & Daim, 2011). The breakdown of this model is to identify why people choose to use a particular technology over another. 

In regards to PU, adoption rates in technology may climb much faster for those who believe that the technology that they are interacting with is useful to them. Technological devices that show less usefulness to an individual, on the other hand, may be more difficult to adopt in the long-run. 

PEOU looks at how the user views the technology, and whether they believe that its use and implementation will be simple, requiring minimal effort. In 2019, many users of technology are looking for the fastest, most reliable ways about their technological experience. If individuals perceive a gadget to be difficult to work and understand prior to using it, the adoption of it may cease to exist!

Another concept that users may consider includes the Diffusion of Innovation Theory.

Diffusion of Innovation Theory

The Diffusion of Innovation Theory is a concept that has been evolving since the beginning of the 20th century, and eventually landed at Everett Rogers' (1962) idea that individuals in society fall into one of five adopter groups (Boston University Medical Campus, 2018). Rogers' theory mentions that if companies want to adopt a wide-spread behaviour, each group must be marketed to in different ways, using different modes and techniques. This idea holds great truth as institutions must understand that not all educators are going to be innovators or early adopters, and appropriate training and resources must be made for the remaining three groups (which make up for 84% of the population), in order to reach and maintain a wider audience. Without marketers looking at the needs and abilities of each group individually, the adoption of different technologies among a greater population may fail.

References

Boston University Medical Campus. (2018). Behavioral change models: Diffusion of Innovation
Theory. Retrieved from http://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/MPH-
Modules/SB/BehavioralChangeTheories/BehavioralChangeTheories4.html

Cheung, A. [Adrian Cheung]. (2019, March 2). Technology Acceptance Model [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=51&v=MmW4374gLn8

Phan, K., & Daim, T. (2011). Exploring technology acceptance for mobile services. Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management, 4(2), 339-360. doi:10.3926/jiem.2011.v4n2.p339-360

Rare. [Rare]. (2015, April 2). Diffusion of Innovation Theory: The adoption curve [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QnfWhtujPA

Written By: Hayley Taylor (100730514) #techcurr