This chapter is adapted from Foundations of Educational Technology Copyright © 2017 by Penny Thompson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

10.1 Technology Acceptance Model

The Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, 1989), or TAM, posits that there are two factors that determine whether a computer system will be accepted by its potential users: (1) perceived usefulness, and (2) perceived ease of use.  The key feature of this model is its emphasis on the perceptions of the potential user.  That is, while the creator of a given technology product may believe the product is useful and user-friendly, it will not be accepted by its potential users unless the users share those beliefs.

For a quick introduction to TAM, see this 4-minute video:

https://youtu.be/ydIFH1q2NHw.

This 15-minute video provides more detail on the background of and development of the model: https://youtu.be/Eknh4UbegGw

10.2 Decomposed Theory of Planned Behavior

The Theory of Planned Behavior states that our intentions to perform a certain behavior (such as the adoption of a new technology) arise from three major categories of influence: (1) our attitudes towards the behavior, (2) the influences (norms) of our social circle, and (3) our perceived level of control regarding the behavior.  The Decomposed Theory of Planned Behavior builds on the original theory by breaking these three influences into more detailed dimensions. See this five-minute video for a more detailed explanation of the theory:

https://youtu.be/DFn-IOcpd8A

10.3 Diffusion of Innovation

In Diffusion of Innovations, Rogers (1995) described how new ideas spread through communities. According to Rogers, there are identifiable characteristics that predict whether and how quickly an innovation will spread through a community.

1. Relative advantage – people are more likely to adopt an innovation if they perceive it as having some advantage over their current situation
2. Compatability – people are more likely to adopt an innovation that fits with their cultural norms, attitudes, and beliefs
3. Complexity – people are more likely to adopt innovations that are easy for them to understand and use
4. Trialability – people are more likely to adopt an innovation if they can test it before committing to its adoption
5. Observability – people are more likely to adopt an innovation if they see others adopt it successfully.

An innovation that has these five characteristics still needs to be communicated to members of the community in order to be adopted.  Thus, Rogers identified communication channels as an important element of the diffusion process. With respect to adopting innovation, Rogers believed personal communication between people was more important than mass media communication.  Because innovations are not adopted instantly, time is also an important element of Rogers’ model. Finally, innovations are communicated over time through a social system.

While innovations diffuse through communities, these communities are made up of individuals making their own decisions about whether to adopt the innovation.  Rogers identified five stages in the decision process, as follows:

1. The knowledge stage, where the individual learns of the existence of the innovation and gathers information about it.
2. The persuasion stage, where the individual actively seeks out knowledge that will help in the decision process
3. The decision stage, where the individual adopts or rejects the innovation
4. The implementation stage, where the individual uses the innovation and evaluates its benefits
5. The confirmation stage, where the individual continues to seek information to confirm that the adoption decision was beneficial.

While these stages are believed to apply to all individuals, of course people vary in their receptivity to new ideas and how much time and information they need to make an adoption decision.  Rogers identified the following categories of adopters:

1. Innovators – risk-tolerant people who like to seek out new ideas
2. Early adopters – opinion leaders in the community who are receptive to trying new ideas and have the social position to influence others
3. Early majority – people who are deliberate in their adoption decisions but tend to adopt more quickly than average
4. Late majority – risk-averse people who need to see an innovation being used successfully by others before they adopt it
5. Laggards – the last to adopt an innovation, often only adopting it after a new innovation has already begun to replace it.

Watch the following two videos for a greater understanding of how these groups of adopters operate over time within communication channels in a social structure to spread an innovative idea throughout a community:

• Part 1

• https://youtu.be/9QnfWhtujPA

• Part 2

• https://youtu.be/NiNoNYLBabA

10.4 Chapter Summary

The theories and models described in this chapter take different perspectives, but all emphasize that the adoption and use of new technology is subject to a variety of influences in a complex interaction.  Designers and champions of new technology may not be able to control all of these influences, but understanding them can lead to better implementation and better communication with users.

References

Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS quarterly, 13(30 319-340.

Rogers, E. M. (1995). Diffusion of innovations. New York, The Free Press.