Influence of achievement goal on technology use among undergraduates in Malaysia

ABSTRACT

Previous studies had identified the potential link between achievement goal and students’ technology use. However, the literature on this topic is extremely scarce. The purpose of this study was to investigate the antecedents to technology use among undergraduates via an extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model with achievement goal as an external variable. Data were collected from 599 undergraduates using a 38-item self-report questionnaire and analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results of this study showed that the extended UTAUT model had a good fit to the data of this study, with 35% of the variance in behavioral intention and 32% of the variance in use behavior explained by their antecedents. This study found that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and achievement goal had significant influences on undergraduates’ technology behavioral intention to use technology, while social influence and facilitating conditions from the original UTAUT model did not. It was also found that achievement goal and behavioral intention were significant antecedents that influenced undergraduates’ technology use behavior. The findings of this study contribute to both theory, practice, and policy that enhance our understanding of students’ learning and technology use.

KEYWORDS:

• Achievement goal
• technology use
• teaching and learning
• twenty-first century skills
• UTAUT

Acknowledgements

The authors thank all the students who participated in the study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

We would like to express our gratitude to Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia for funding this research. This work was supported by Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman Research Fund [grant number 6200/P12].

Notes on contributors

Timothy Teo

Timothy Teo (T. Teo) is a Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in China SAR. His research interests include ICT in education, educational psychology, and quantitative methods.

Priscilla Moses

Priscilla Moses (P. Moses) is an Assistant Professor and Head of Programme for PhD Programmes in Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia. Her research interests are educational technology, technology acceptance, e-learning, blended learning, and STEM Education.

Phaik Kin Cheah

Phaik Kin Cheah (P. K. Cheah) is an Associate Professor in Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia. Her research interests include teacher training, volunteer policing, and qualitative methods.

Fang Huang

Fang Huang (F. Huang) is a Professor in School of Foreign Languages at the Qingdao University in China. Her research interests are teachers’ technology use, and intercultural English education.

Tiny Chiu Yuen Tey

Tiny Chiu Yuen Tey (T. C. Y. Tey) works at Higher Education Research Institute, University of Sanya. Her research interests include STEM education, educational technology, technology acceptance, and student learning.