Factors influencing students’ intention to utilize a web-based collaboration tool / Siti Mariam Muhammad Abdul Basar

• Main Author: Siti Mariam, Muhammad Abdul Basar
• Format: Thesis
• Published: 2017
• Subjects: L Education (General); T Technology (General)
• Online Access: http://studentsrepo.um.edu.my/7908/1/All.pdf; http://studentsrepo.um.edu.my/7908/9/mariam.pdf; http://studentsrepo.um.edu.my/7908/

The purpose of this study was to explore: (1) factors influencing students’ perceptions towards the pedagogical benefits of web-based collaboration tool, Wiki, in terms of confidence in writing, knowledge sharing, improvement in writing, group interaction, and motivation; (2) relationships between three factors i.e. attitude, social influence and perceived behavioural control, and behavioural intention towards the use of Wiki; and (3) factors that best predict students’ intention to use Wiki in the future. The participants were one hundred and nine (n=109) higher education students of a Malaysian public university. Mixed-method research design was employed in which both quantitative and qualitative data are gathered concurrently. Data were collected from online surveys and focus group interviews. Quantitative data obtained from the online surveys were statistically analyzed using Pearson’s Product Moment correlational analysis to investigate the relationship between the factors (attitude, social influence, and perceived behavioural control) and behavioural intention towards the use of Wiki. Next, partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) technique was applied to analyze factors that best predict students’ intention to adopt Wiki in the future. Qualitative data were analyzed using constant comparative method. Findings indicated that learners positively perceived Wiki as beneficial in five areas, namely confidence in writing, knowledge sharing, improvement in writing, group interaction, and motivation. The findings were further supported by analyses of qualitative findings where four themes emerged: (1) learning benefits; (2) collaboration benefits; (3) technology advantages; and (4) challenges. Additionally, results from correlational analysis indicated significant positive relationships between the three factors i.e. attitude, social influence, and perceived behavioural control, and students’ behavioural intention towards the use of Wiki. Among these three factors, attitude was found to be the highest significant predictor of students’ intention to adopt Wiki in the future, followed by social influence. Findings of this study highlight the critical importance for nurturing positive attitude and create stimulating social environment for students to use Wiki in the future.