An empirical investigation of secondary school students' behavioural intentions to use digital textbooks

Abstract

The education sector has seen many technological changes over the last decade, all with the aim of improving learning efficiency and academic performance. These technological advancements are possible, with students now being capable of and familiar with using digital devices to share files and create content. One such advancement has been the use of digital textbooks, with a prediction that they will be used more than printed textbooks in the future. Whilst the use of digital textbooks offers many advantages, whether or not students will have positive behavioural intentions towards using books in this format, is a critical question that is consistently raised. This study aims to determine which factors may influence the behavioural intentions of secondary school students towards using digital textbooks. This will allow for developers of digital textbooks and schools to be aware of such factors and to design platforms and systems that will allow students to reap the benefits of using this technology. A quantitative explanatory study was conducted using the technology acceptance model (TAM) as the theoretical underpinning to the study. The original TAM constructs, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, were tested, as were the added external variables to TAM, self-efficacy, perceived enjoyment and perceived convenience. A Likert-scale survey was designed and distributed to a single private school whose students all used digital textbooks mandatorily. A total of 369 surveys were collected from students across Grades 8 to 12. The dataset was analysed and a structural equation modelling was used, to test the proposed conceptual model that was derived from literature. Through testing the various TAM constructs and extensions to TAM, all hypotheses were found to be statistically significant towards positive behavioural intentions. The result of this study, provides schools and developers, practical solutions to ensure students show positive behaviour towards the use of selected digital textbooks. The easier digital textbooks are to access, the more useful students will perceive them to be. If digital textbooks are convenient and enjoyable to use, and if students believe in their own abilities to master the skill to use them, they will be more willing to embrace and fully utilise such technology.