Applying UTAUT to understand medical students’ Wi-Fi adoption for learning in Sri Lankan hostel settings
摘要
As digital learning expands, higher education institutions increasingly rely on Wi-Fi networks to facilitate student learning. This study investigated factors influencing medical students’ intention and actual use of a hostel Wi-Fi system for academic learning at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) as the theoretical framework.
MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among 310 medical students. Data were collected on key UTAUT constructs and analysed using covariance-based structural equation modelling.
ResultsThe model demonstrated acceptable validity and reliability. Among the factors studied, performance expectancy (PE) (β = 0.284, P ≤ 0.001), social influence (SI) (β = 0.222, P ≤ 0.001), and facilitating conditions (FC) (β = 0.615, P ≤ 0.001) were significantly associated with students’ intention to use the Wi-Fi system for learning, while effort expectancy (EE) (β = -0.184, P ≤ 0.130) did not. Moreover, behavioral intention (BI) (β = 0.533, P ≤ 0.001) and FC (β = 0.320, P ≤ 0.001) had significant associations with the students’ actual use of the Wi-Fi system for learning.
ConclusionsThis study enhances our understanding of the factors influencing medical students’ acceptance and use of Wi-Fi for learning. Notably, FC emerged as the strongest associated factor of intention to use the Wi-Fi system. These findings underscore the critical role of FC in technology adoption and provide valuable insights for university administrators to effectively implement and integrate technologies into educational settings.