The adoption of tablet PCs by South African college students: an application of the technology acceptance model

Abstract

This paper reports the results of a study that investigated South African tertiary education students' adoption patterns of tablet PCs as an e-learning medium. Utilizing structural equation modelling techniques, the study tested the hypothesized effects of perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness, two constituent variables of the technology acceptance model (TAM), to predict the adoption of tablet PCs among college students. Self-completion questionnaires were used to collect data from a sample of 344 students from a South African college. From the study, two important findings were made. First, the association of innovation awareness and adoption was established. Second, the relationship among perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and the adoption of new technology in situations involving discontinuous innovations is clarified. In addition, the study makes two contributions. It is the first to utilize structural equation modelling to study the adoption of tablet PCs within the context of e-learning in South Africa. More importantly, the study develops a technology usage model for discontinuous e-learning innovations.