Modelling the Adoption of the Version Control System: An Empirical Study

Abstract

Version control system is a repository of a source code that provides support in all stages of a software development lifecycle. Success of a version control system is affected by its acceptance by end-users. This paper deals with the adoption of the distributed version control system. With an aim to determine antecedents of satisfaction with as well as behavioral intention related to the reuse of the version control system, we proposed a research model composed of constructs that originate from several theories and models including technology acceptance model, theory of reasoned action, and expectation-confirmation theory. An empirical study was then carried out and was composed of two parts. First, study participants had to complete scenario-based interaction with GitHub as a representative sample of distributed version control systems. As a follow up, study respondents had to fill out the post-use questionnaire. Students from two higher education institutions were included in the study as a representative sample of users. The psychometric features of the research model were examined by means of the partial least squares structural equation modelling method. Study findings uncovered implications for both researchers and practitioners.