Utilitarian and experiential aspects in acceptance models for learning technology

Identifying and understanding factors influencing the adoption of a specific technology in various educational settings is critical for maximizing the effectiveness of using the technology. Research based on Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) in education provides an extensive insight into constructs that influence the adoption of learning technology. Most of these constructs represent either the utilitarian or the experiential aspect, e.g., self-efficacy and system quality (utilitarian) or satisfaction and perceived enjoyment (experiential). However, no prior review tried to systematize how these aspects have been addressed in different learning contexts. This review investigates to what extent and how these aspects have been addressed in TAM-based studies in general and relative to the contextual factors: types of participants, types of technology, and learning environment factors. Therefore, 112 good-quality articles have been reviewed. 132 constructs that addressed the utilitarian aspect have been classified into categories such as user characteristics, technology characteristics, learning/teaching process characteristics, etc. 64 constructs from the pre-coded categories of ‘social influence’ and ‘experience of use’ addressed the experiential aspect. The utilitarian aspect has been largely studied in some learning contexts (e.g., adult learners and educators/teachers as participants), whereas the experiential aspect is more prominent in some other learning contexts (e.g., students in primary and secondary education as participants, hedonic technology). The review discusses and summarizes the identified research gaps, as well as some implications for future research.