Individual and Technological Factors Affecting Perceived Ease of Use of Web-based Learning Technologies in a Developing Country

Abstract

Perceived ease of use has been shown to be an important factor in studies of information technology acceptance, with Internet and World Wide Web adoption being no exception. Many previous studies have looked at the perceived ease of use of technologies in a working or commercial environment in developed countries. This study therefore aimed to extend knowledge by examining perceived ease of use of web-based technologies in a learning environment, rather than a working one, and in a developing country as opposed to a developed country. Through a survey of 78 first year South African University students with little prior experience of Internet technologies, it was found that the individual characteristics of self-efficacy and computer anxiety significantly influenced perceived ease of use, as did the web site characteristics, ease of finding and ease of understanding. It was furthermore confirmed that in a developing country context, perceived usefulness might not predict adoption, thus amplifying the role of perceived ease of use as the main predictor of both usage and perceived usefulness.