Understanding Pre-Service Teachers' Mobile Learning Readiness Using Theory of Planned Behavior

Abstract

The study aimed to understand pre-service teachers' mobile learning readiness with Theory of Planned Behavior using external salient beliefs. There were nine hypotheses tested with a total of 533 pre-service teachers in two cities in Turkey. Several scales adapted from Cheon et al. (2012) included 10 psychological variables. The results indicated that the TPB model explained 58% of the variance in intention to adopt mobile learning. The results of structural equation modeling (SEM) showed that the proposed model of the current study has acceptable fit data. The results of the SEM revealed that attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control have significant impact on intention to adopt mobile learning. In addition, salient beliefs had an influence on the constructs of TPB. Therefore, all the hypotheses within the model were statistically supported in understanding determinants of mobile learning readiness. All in all, the study approved the effectiveness of well-structured cognitive psychological model in understanding pre-service teachers' intention towards adoption of mobile learning in the Turkish context. The study has important implications for researchers, educators, education stakeholders, policy makers and mobile learning application designers.

The study aimed to understand pre-service teachers' mobile learning readiness with Theory of Planned Behavior using external salient beliefs. There were nine hypotheses tested with a total of 533 pre-service teachers in two cities in Turkey. Several scales adapted from Cheon et al. (2012) included 10 psychological variables. The results indicated that the TPB model explained 58% of the variance in intention to adopt mobile learning. The results of structural equation modeling (SEM) showed that the proposed model of the current study has acceptable fit data. The results of the SEM revealed that attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control have significant impact on intention to adopt mobile learning. In addition, salient beliefs had an influence on the constructs of TPB. Therefore, all the hypotheses within the model were statistically supported in understanding determinants of mobile learning readiness. All in all, the study approved the effectiveness of well-structured cognitive psychological model in understanding pre-service teachers' intention towards adoption of mobile learning in the Turkish context. The study has important implications for researchers, educators, education stakeholders, policy makers and mobile learning application designers.