RESEARCH PAPER
Validation of the UTAUT Model: Re-Considering Non-Linear Relationships of Exogeneous Variables in Higher Education Technology Acceptance Research
 
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1
College of Distance Education, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, GHANA
 
2
Centre for Instructional Technology and Multimedia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, MALAYSIA
 
 
Online publication date: 2017-09-29
 
 
Publication date: 2017-09-29
 
 
Corresponding author
Brandford Bervell   

University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Tel:+233200937934
 
 
EURASIA J. Math., Sci Tech. Ed 2017;13(10):6471-6490
 
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Over the years, The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) has served many researchers in unravelling technology acceptance intentions. What has become a chasm in the literature has been the seeming exclusion of non-linear relationships of UTAUT exogeneous variables (Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Social Influence and Facilitating Conditions) in model formation and the overall determination of construct predictive relationships. Secondly, there is a dearth in technology acceptance research in distance-based higher education settings. In an attempt to bridge these gaps, this study adopted the UTAUT model and utilized the Partial Least Squares approach to evaluate a combined linear and non-linear relationships based UTAUT model. The survey design was employed in which a questionnaire was used to obtain data from a sample of 267 respondents (tutors) from a distance-based higher education milieu with a country-wide distribution. Results obtained indicated that non-linear relationships exist between exogeneous factors to better explain constructs’ behaviour in the model. A new relationship between facilitating condition and social influence was also discovered. The study thus concluded that in technology acceptance research, there is the need to include non-linear relationships in the UTAUT model to augment the predictive effects and explanations of the constructs’ relationships. It further recommended a comparative analysis between a proposed comprehensive UTAUT model with non-linear relationships and moderators to the original UTAUT model for further empirical analysis. This is to compare results in terms of coefficient of determination (R2) and predictive relevance (Q2).
 
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