Content area
Full Text
How and why individuals adopt innovations has motivated a great deal of research. This article examines individuals' computing adoption processes through the lenses of three adoption theories: Rogers's innovation diffusion theory, the Concerns-Based Adoption Model, the Technology Acceptance Model, and the United Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology. Incorporating all three models, this article suggests technology adoption is a complex, inherently social, developmental process; individuals construct unique yet malleable perceptions of technology that influence their adoption decisions. Thus, successfully facilitating technology adoption must address cognitive, emotional, and contextual concerns. This article also focuses specific attention on adoption theory outside of a formal organization and the implications of adoption theory on informal environments.
KEYWORDS: technology adoption, teacher education, social cognitive theory.
For a crime against the gods - the specifics of which are variously reported - he was condemned to an eternity at hard labor. And frustrating labor at that. For his assignment was to roll a great boulder to the top of a hill. Only every time Sisyphus, by the greatest of exertion and toil, attained the summit, the darn thing rolled back down again.
- The Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology (n.d., para. 4)
Introduction
This decision of whether an individual will adopt a particular technology and the time frame involved with that decision has been a long source of research across multiple disciplines, and it influences business, school, and everyday life. However, the concept of technology literacy is increasingly becoming integrated into mandated curricula (Barron, Kemker, Harmes, & Kalaydijian, 2003), forcing some level of technology adoption on many school districts and teachers. Although decisions about integration of technology are frequently at a higher level, such as a school or district level, it is the individuals' adoption patterns that illustrate a successful implementation. Therefore, it is essential to understand such aspects of the process such as the following: Why does one individual choose to adopt a technology while another resists? What is the influence of social context on the decision to adopt? These questions are addressed in the context of adoption and diffusion theories.
This article describes several key innovation adoption and diffusion theories by examining its theoretical base, key components, and strengths and weaknesses. Ultimately, the question this article seeks to understand...